Greenfield Spy Was Trained in Soviet Russia — U.S.
Created: 05.03.2005 11:39 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 11:39 MSK, 13 hours 55 minutes ago
MosNews
A Greenfield truck driver accused of offering to sell the names of U.S. intelligence agents to the Iraqi government received espionage training in Russia about 30 years ago, authorities say.
Court documents released Friday in the case of Shaaban Hafiz Ahmad Ali Shaaban also reveal that the Jordanian native had five passports and used several Social Security numbers, the Indy Star web site reported.
Shaaban, 52, was arrested Thursday. He is scheduled to appear for a detention hearing Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Kennard Foster.
“It sounds like he was under some kind of deep cover,” said Edward B. Atkeson, a senior fellow at the Arlington, Va.--based Institute of Land Warfare and a former chief of Army intelligence in Europe. “He’s got some professional backing. He couldn’t have built that kind of background and documentation by himself.”
In 1972 he lived in Moscow and married his first wife, Svetlana Anatolevna Shaban. It’s unclear whether they were divorced, the news site wrote.
During his stay in Moscow, the U.S. government says, Shaaban received training from Russian intelligence agents. The documents do not detail what kind of training. Authorities refused to elaborate.
At the time, Atkeson said, the Soviet Union was active in the international spy game.
“They did everything. You name it, they were up to it,” Atkeson said, noting that the fact that Shaaban was allowed to enter Russia is a signal that he was likely recruited.
“It was a police state —- nobody came in without their clear interest,” Atkeson said. “They would take a Jordanian with the idea of using him somehow.”
Shaaban’s first wife is thought to reside in Florida. Attempts to reach her were unsuccessful.
A federal grand jury this week indicted Shaaban on charges of conspiracy, acting illegally as a foreign agent, violating sanctions against Iraq, unlawful procurement of identification documents and unlawful procurement of naturalization.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison, $250,000 in fines and deportation.