[Firestarter]

British intelligence is organised crime

Since 1994, British law gives its secret agents the right to break the law, as long as they have the permission of a “Secretary of State”.
This has enabled the British intelligence services to participate in a wide range of illegal activity, including murder, torture, terrorism, drug trafficking, arms sales and money laundering.


Section 7 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994 says:

(1) If, apart from this section, a person would be liable in the United Kingdom for any act done outside the British Islands, he shall not be so liable if the act is one which is authorised to be done by virtue of an authorisation given by the secretary of state under this section.
(...)
(9)For the purposes of this section the reference in subsection (1) to an act done outside the British Islands includes a reference to any act which—
(a)is done in the British Islands; but
(b)is or is intended to be done in relation to apparatus that is believed to be outside the British Islands, or in relation to anything appearing to originate from such apparatus;

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/13/section/7

While the first subsection limits the criminal acts to outside the British Islands, the 9th subsection shows that also criminal acts “in the British Islands” are allowed...


About a year ago, Ben Jaffey told the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) that MI5 grants its informants legal cover to participate in crimes that may extend to murder, torture and sexual assaults. The policy is in existence since the early 1990s.

British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, MI6) and GCHQ in cases involving prisoners abroad routinely seek authorisation under section 7 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, which makes their officers immune from civil and criminal liability for cruel inhuman and degrading treatment (including torture).
A former MI6 agent stated:

We are… always going to go for a section 7 authorization. Because, you know, why should my officers carry the risks on behalf of the government personally? So we will go for belt and braces on this.

In 2012, judicial oversight of this practice was first introduced.
Retired judge Sir Mark Waller as intelligence services commissioner was responsible with the so-called “independent judicial oversight” of the conduct of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
Prime Minister David Cameron wrote a latter to Waller dated 27 November 2012 explaining that MI5 permits informants to participate in “crime” and that Waller’s “oversight would not provide endorsement of the legality of the policy”. In other words, Waller had no “oversight” at all!
Cameron concluded that this letter should not be published, “on the basis that doing so would be detrimental to national security and contrary to the public interest”.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018...bunal-told


The number of requests for authorisations grew rapidly after 9/11 was staged, in 2009 alone MI6 asked for 500 authorisation under section 7 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994.

In 20004, 2 leading Libyan dissidents, Abdul Hakim Belhaj and Sami al-Saadi, were kidnapped with the help of MI6.
According to MI6, this was part of the rapprochement between Gaddafi and the UK and US that saw Gaddafi open oil and gas exploration opportunities to western firms.

Belhaj and al-Saadi sued the senior MI6 officer responsible, Sir Mark Allen:
In a letter dated 18 March 2004, MI6 officer Allen wrote to former Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa:

I congratulate you on the safe arrival of Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq [a.k.a. Abdul Hakim Belhaj]. This was the least we could do for you and for Libya to demonstrate the remarkable relationship we have built over the years.

Later in 2012, Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service announced that a criminal investigation was started into the abductions of these 2 leading Libyan dissidents, plotted with the help of MI6: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/j...i6-officer
(http://archive.is/lXsNU)


Patrick Finucane, who represented several Republicans, was shot dead in front of his family by loyalist gunmen.
It has emerged that the loyalist paramilitary intelligence officer responsible for the murder, Brian Nelson, was controlled by the British Army’s “Force Research Unit”: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018...court-told
(http://archive.is/myUWC)