MI6 is hunkering down in light of the sacking of former agent back in 1995. The agent, Richard Tomlinson, was jailed briefly in 1998 for a breach of the Official Secrets Act. He later fled to Russia from where he published a tell-all book. Now, he has launched a blog…
The blog, called ‘Richard Tomlinson v MI6‘, has already created a stir in the intelligence community: his most recent posting published an aerial photograph of MI6’s training facility at Fort Monckton, on the south coast. He states on the blog: ‘This is where new recruits undertake their IONEC [a six-month training course]. It is also where pre-posting refresher training takes place, as well as courses for liaison officers from other friendly intelligence services.’
The Treasury Solicitor has written asking him to take the names of two SIS officers off his site in a posting he wrote on the 11th anniversary of his arrest. Tomlinson complied. ‘It is a most encouraging first response from MI6 and the Treasury Solicitor. If they had approached things as sensibly as this 11 years ago, the dispute between us need never have happened,’ he said.
This could be an ongoing source of embarrassment for MI6 as there is no telling what he will write about going forward.
Tags: MI6, Spy, Richard Tomlinson, Official Secrets Act
