Brazil this week admitted to spying on diplomats from countries including the US, Russia, and Iran as part of a domestic program launched 10 years ago under former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The program was first revealed in a Monday report from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, which obtained documents from the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, commonly known as ABIN. The revelations come at a sensitive time for current Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, who has been among the most outspoken critics of the widespread surveillance conducted by the US National Security Agency (NSA).
According to Folha, Brazilian intelligence spied on rooms rented out by the US embassy in Brasilia from 2003 to 2004. ABIN believed that the US was using the rooms to coordinate espionage activities, but the American embassy this week claimed they were only used for walkie-talkie communications in case of emergency. The report also claims that ABIN targeted Russian and Iranian officials, tracking their movements within the country by foot and by car. Among those targeted were Russian military personnel and Seyed Davood Mohseni Salehi Monfared, Iran's ambassador to Cuba at the time.
Rousseff's office acknowledged Monday that the spying took place, but stressed that the operations were carried out within the law. The administration added that publishing classified documents is a crime in Brazil, and that those responsible "will be prosecuted according to the law."
"The operations in question [took place] in accordance with Brazilian legislation pertaining to the protection of the national interest," Rousseff's office said in a statement released Monday. "As Folha preferred not to send copies of the documents obtained, the Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI) could not verify their authenticity." (Folha says it confirmed the authenticity of the documents after consulting with former intelligence, military, and government officials.)
Not a great source, but I've seen it elsewhere.
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