Britain admits 'fake rock' plot to spy on Russians

[Judi Lynn]

Britain admits 'fake rock' plot to spy on Russians
Tony Blair's former aide Jonathan Powell says Britain was behind a plot to spy on Russians with a device hidden in a fake plastic rock

•guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 January 2012 03.49 EST

Britain was behind a plot to spy on Russians with a device hidden in a fake plastic rock, a former key UK government official has admitted.

Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff to prime minister Tony Blair, admitted in a BBC documentary that allegations made by the Russians in 2006 - dismissed at the time - were in fact true.

"The spy rock was embarrassing," he said in the BBC2 documentary series, Putin, Russia and the West. "They had us bang to rights. Clearly they had known about it for some time and had been saving it up for a political purpose."

A diplomatic row was sparked six years ago after Russian state television broadcast a film claiming British agents had hidden a sophisticated transmitter inside a fake rock left on a Moscow street. It accused embassy officials of allegedly downloading classified data from the transmitter using palm-top computers.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/19/fake-rock-plot-spy-russians

[jberryhill]

1. How is a "fake plastic rock" different from a "real plastic rock"?

[jdadd]

2. It's a real rock....Made to look, like a plastic one...

[jberryhill]

7. That's what I thought

Seems like a lot of effort to go through, when the starting point is a real rock.

[Ian David]

3. Ah, yes... the old secret transmitter in the plastic rock trick. n/t

[pinboy3niner]

4. The attached shoe phone transmitter gave it away

"Missed it by *that* much."

[Ghost Dog]

5. rofl.

I remember the Spanish press, and everyone in Spain, had no doubts about this story at the time.

[Javaman]

6. Pet rocks around the world weep. nt