ninme

So, first there was/is the almighty cock-up in Britain, now this:

WaTi - Canada arrests ‘illegal’ spy from Russian intelligence

Canada’s security service recently arrested a deep-cover Russian intelligence officer posing as a Canadian citizen in what officials say is a rare capture of an “illegal” spy.

Court papers identified the man as Paul William Hampel and said he was a member of Russia’s foreign intelligence service, or SVR, and an “illegal” spy operating without the protection of diplomatic cover.

A Canadian federal court report made public earlier this week stated that the Canadian Security and Intelligence Services thinks Mr. Hampel “is a danger to the security of Canada” and was thus “inadmissible” to the country.

Mr. Hampel was arrested at Montreal’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport on Nov. 14 and found to be carrying three passports that authorities said were obtained fraudulently using a Canadian birth certificate.

He also was found carrying about $6,876 worth of five different currencies, along with several bank and credit cards, index cards containing historical data on Canada, encrypted prepaid cell phone cards and a shortwave radio.

Okay, he’s a deep-cover super-secret illegal Russian spy, and he’s in an airport, with:

• three passports of (presumably) assorted nationalities
• sundry credit and bank cards
• flash-cards on general Canadian knowledge
• encrypted prepaid phone cards
• $7,000 in various currencies and
• a shortwave radio

On his person. In an airport (airports being the place where random people you’ve never met are allowed to search your pockets and go through your things).

A U.S. official said the capture was a coup for the Canadians, since deep-cover spies are very hard to find.

Well, no disrespect to the Canadians, but are they? Really?