• French Intelligence Officer Defects to al Qaida
    21 replies, posted
[QUOTE] IRBIL, Iraq — A former French intelligence officer who defected to al Qaida was among the targets of the first wave of U.S. air strikes in Syria last month, according to people familiar with the defector’s movements and identity. Two European intelligence officials described the former French officer as the highest ranking defector ever to go over to the terrorist group and called his defection one of the most dangerous developments in the West’s long confrontation with al Qaida. The identity of the officer is a closely guarded secret. Two people, independently of one another, provided the same name, which McClatchy is withholding pending further confirmation. All of the sources agreed that a former French officer was one of the people targeted when the United States struck eight locations occupied by the Nusra Front, al Qaida’s Syrian affiliate. The former officer apparently survived the assault, which included strikes by 47 cruise missiles. U.S. officials have acknowledged that the assault on the Nusra Front locations, which came as the Americans and coalition partners also struck Islamic State positions elsewhere, was aimed at members of what the Obama administration has dubbed the Khorasan group, a unit of top-level terror operatives who had been dispatched to Syria to plot attacks on the West. The only member of that unit U.S. officials have identified is Muhsin al Fahdli, a 33-year-old one-time confidant of al Qaida founder Osama bin Laden. The United States offered a $7 million reward in October 2012 for information leading to Fahdli’s death or capture. Twitter accounts associated with jihadi sympathizers have said Fahdli was killed, but U.S. officials have said that information remains unconfirmed. The former French officer may have been a more important target. Syrian rebels battling to topple President Bashar Assad said that U.S. officials had told them before the strikes that they were closely monitoring the defector’s movements. European intelligence officials said the former officer had defected from either French military intelligence or from France’s foreign intelligence agency, the General Directorate for External Security, known by its French-language acronym as the DGSE. Read more here: [url]http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/10/05/242218_sources-us-air-strikes-in-syria.html?sp=/99/117/&rh=1#storylink=cpy[/url] [/QUOTE]
Why would you defect to a terrorist organization like this?
Weird I wonder what his circumstances are. Assuming he's muslim but I dunno.
[QUOTE]All of the sources agreed that a former French officer was one of the people targeted when the United States struck eight locations occupied by the Nusra Front, al Qaida’s Syrian affiliate. The former officer apparently survived the assault, [b]which included strikes by 47 cruise missiles.[/b][/QUOTE] Pretty tough to survive that much.
[QUOTE=Cheshire_cat;46160414]Pretty tough to survive that much.[/QUOTE] not in 1 spot, was spread over various targets and various amounts of time. 47 missiles hitting 1 building, just picturing that lol.
Maybe he's going undercover
[QUOTE=Dr.C;46160852]Maybe he's going undercover[/QUOTE] That seems like it would be super effective - Launch missiles after him and then al Qaida would trust him completely. Granted sounds like a movie plot rather than reality.
[QUOTE=Medevila;46160827]there's no rational justification, would wager it was religiously motivated[/QUOTE] Or lots of money.
Jacques of Arabia
[QUOTE=Dr.C;46160852]Maybe he's going undercover[/QUOTE] I somehow doubt it would be in the news then.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;46160943]I somehow doubt it would be in the news then.[/QUOTE] Unless it was a trick!!!
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;46160898]Or lots of money.[/QUOTE] Money he can't enjoy because he is going to be hunted the rest of his life
[QUOTE=Aman;46160417]not in 1 spot, was spread over various targets and various amounts of time. 47 missiles hitting 1 building, just picturing that lol.[/QUOTE] 47 cruise missiles all flying through the air at once... thats scary [editline]5th October 2014[/editline] why would you defect to a terrorist organisation
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;46160898]Or lots of money.[/QUOTE] lots of money doesnt buy you much in the literal anus of planet earth.
-snip-
[QUOTE=Medevila;46160827]there's no rational justification, would wager it was religiously motivated[/QUOTE] Why would they employ a person in such a key position that would likely defect?
[QUOTE=Aman;46160417]not in 1 spot, was spread over various targets and various amounts of time. 47 missiles hitting 1 building, just picturing that lol.[/QUOTE] 1 = 1000lbs 47,000 pounds of explosives... [t]http://i.imgur.com/ItasfX3.jpg[/t] I imagine this would be the treatment that some poor bastard who brings the presidents daughter home late one evening. [I]"Billy didn't bring our princess home, give me the number for JTAC, please honey."[/I]
[QUOTE=seano12;46161324]Why would they employ a person in such a key position that would likely defect?[/QUOTE] Because if you don't you get labeled as a racist.
He'll end up dead or captured by French special forces soon
[QUOTE=deltasquid;46163333]Because if you don't you get labeled as a racist.[/QUOTE] As far as I know, there are no details released about this guy's ethnical background, although chances are he probably IS of arab descent.
[URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/06/us-syria-crisis-france-idUSKCN0HV19A20141006"]France is now denying the report.[/URL] The story just seems too "Hollywood" - I can't imagine the DGSE ever recruiting someone who even had a smidgen of sympathy for Islamic fundamentalists. But intelligence agencies across the globe have all kinds of blunders under their belts so who knows. McClatchy claims that both of it's European intel sources are independent of one another and yet both provided the same name, which they're withholding. Worth keeping an eye on though even if it has a hint of dubiousness to it.
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