What is it about an Irish passport....

[odlum833]

...that attracts foreign intelligence agencies.

Use of Irish passport linked to alleged Russian spy ring


The Department of Foreign Affairs is examining reports that a forged Irish passport may have been used by a member of an alleged Russian spy ring.

The FBI arrested 10 people at the weekend accused of carrying out deep-cover work in the United States to recruit political sources and gather information for the Russian government.

The department said one of those arrested is alleged to have travelled on a forged Irish passport, and that it would be seeking further information.

A statement issued by the department said "the firm position of the Government in regard to the fraudulent use of Irish passports is a matter of public record".

Earlier this month, the Government expelled an official at the Israeli embassy in Dublin in protest over the use of forged Irish passports by suspects in the killing of a Hamas official in Dubai.

The suspects in the alleged US-Russia spy ring were arrested on Sunday in Boston, New York, New Jersey and Virginia on charges including conspiracy to act as unlawful agents of the Russian Federation and money laundering.

.....continues

Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...22.html?via=mr

Groundhog day When I first heard this story I foresaw - when is it revealed Irish passport(s) was used. In fact the forgery is thought to have taken place not in Dublin but in Rome but anyway make of it what you will. Maybe it is just people rediscovering their homeland

[hovis]

Or maybe it's because the Irish are incapible of doing anything about their "friendly neutral" passports being used.

[odlum833]

Forging passports is not a neutral issue. The British did as much as the Irish with the Isreali's and expelled some officials from the Embassies. As did other countries. No one is going to do anything silly because someone forges a passport but life could be made uncomfortable for the offending countries embassy officials. By proxy that can have an effect on the residents of the offending country in that country which may need embassy assistance.

It is not an overly serious issue but is a matter of showing displeasure diplomatically without going overboard.

But that is not the purpose of this thread as per the title.

[hovis]

I actually was referring to Ireland's "neutral" status, as why the passports are popular.

It's well known that Irish passports gets less hassle at passport control than say, a UK passport.

[odlum833]

Originally Posted by hovis

I actually was referring to Ireland's "neutral" status, as why the passports are popular.

It's well known that Irish passports gets less hassle at passport control than say, a UK passport.

That depends on what part of the world you are in. A British passport was also forged in this case apparently. The problem is this is Russia, not Isreal. It's not as simple as just expelling officials. Russia is a big, powerful country and that is one reason it puts countries like Ireland in an awkward posistion. They have to do something politically but have to be very delicate at the same time.

We can't have agenies all over the world forging our passports for the very reason that sooner or later the passport does become a problem for Irish citizens. That is why country's don't like it. That and it is tantamount to a breach of sovereignty.

[Catmalojin]

This article explains it pretty well:

Nice and neutral: why Irish passports are a spook's best friend

Sat, Feb 20, 2010

The use of Irish passports in the execution of a Hamas figure in Dubai may have surprised, but it has always been a popular document, writes TOM CLONAN

AS TRAVEL documents – fake or otherwise – Irish passports are highly prized by a wide and disparate range of groups and individuals. Col Oliver North is believed to have travelled to Iran on a forged Irish passport in 1986, during the Iran-Contra affair.

It is widely acknowledged in intelligence and security circles that fake Irish passports have been used by both CIA and Mossad agents travelling throughout the Middle East and Africa. Exploiting Ireland’s reputation as a neutral state with little or no colonial baggage, it is believed that international intelligence agencies have on numerous occasions employed false Irish passports as cover for spies and agents transiting through territories otherwise hostile to powerful nations such as the United States or Britain.

International terrorist organisations are also known to have used forged Irish passports in the past. Members of the Provisional IRA are believed to have used fake passports during the 1970s and 1980s on trips to Libya and elsewhere in the Middle East as part of their endeavours to source weapons and explosives during the Troubles. More recently, as minister for justice, Michael McDowell alleged that members of the Colombia Three had travelled to South America on forged Irish passports.

Genuine or legitimately held Irish passports are also the envy of international journalists operating in hostile environments such as Iraq and Afghanistan. As foreign correspondents, Patrick Cockburn of the London Independent , Maggie O’Kane of the Guardian and Orla Guerin of the BBC have all reported from war zones while travelling on their Irish passports.

Cockburn has cited at least one occasion in Iraq where the possession of an Irish passport probably saved his life. He produced it when taken at gunpoint from his car by Sunni insurgents on the outskirts of Fallujah in 2004, and was released unharmed. Many international journalists operating in war-torn countries where militant Islamism is a feature regard holders of Irish, Swiss and Swedish passports as fortunate, in that their perceived neutrality confers upon them some measure of protection. Unfortunately, many journalists acknowledge that US and British passports can often provoke hostility in parts of the Middle East and Asia, as a consequence of the US and Britain’s participation in the so-called War on Terror.

The current Irish passport is a machine-readable electronic ePassport which contains a biometric chip for security purposes. It also incorporates a range of other security features, including holograms and a greyscale digitally printed photograph of the passport holder.

It is fully consistent with the security requirements of the US visa waiver programme. The currently configured Irish passport – while considered highly desirable by legitimate users, terrorists and international security agencies alike – is no easier or more difficult to forge than other EU or US passports.

It is significant to note that the five forged Irish passports used in Dubai in January were all dated prior to 2005 – the new security-enhanced Irish passport was first issued in October 2006.

The sheer volume of forged passports estimated to have been involved in the execution of Hamas’s Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month suggests that state assets – rather than criminal or terrorist elements – were employed in their manufacture and forgery.

Whatever the outcome of the investigations into the affair, one unfortunate outcome will be the closer and perhaps hostile scrutiny that Irish citizens travelling abroad on genuine Irish passports may be subjected to at foreign airports and points of entry in the coming weeks.

Dr Tom Clonan is the Irish Times Security Analyst. He lectures in the School of Media at DIT.

© 2010 The Irish Times

[Conor]

Great news, I'm going on holiday in 4 fucking days