Chapman's network of friends and business associates are being investigated to see if the temptress recruited them as sub-agents.
Investigation ... Anna Chapman
MI5 are also investigating whether she had links to agents working undercover at the Russian Embassy in London.
Intelligence chiefs believe there could be 35 agents at the embassy - half the diplomatic staff - plus at least another 20 Russian spies in the UK who do not have diplomatic cover but live normal lives.
MI5 swung into action after US authorities charged Chapman and nine others with spying for Russia in a "deep-cover" operation.
Pal ... Oleg Gordievsky
Chapman's ex-husband Alex believes she may have been recruited while living in London.
Her friend Oleg Gordievsky - a former KGB officer who defected to Britain - believes she was "groomed" by a Russian diplomat.
Chapman, 28, spent five years living in Britain, during which time she became a British citizen.
Part of the MI5 probe focuses on Chapman's links to controversial businessman Ken Sharpe.
She is said to have moved millions of pounds between Britain and Zimbabwe - raising fears the money was used for spy operations - while working with Sharpe.
Alex said his ex-wife's dad Vasily Kushchenko - who has been accused of working for the KGB - introduced her to Sharpe, whose businesses include a factory exporting vodka bottles to Russia.
Artist Alex, 30, from Bournemouth, Dorset, spent five hours being interviewed by MI5.
He was grilled about his ex-wife's dad, and said: "The officer wasn't interested in what Anna is accused of in America, but whether she could have been spying in London."
Russian spies are just as active in Britain now as they were during the Cold War, ex-MI5 chief Dame Stella Rimington believes.
She said: "Russia still has a very large, well-resourced intelligence community, every bit as active as the KGB was. Espionage can pose serious dangers to Britain's economic and security interests."
Ex-US agent Boris Korczak says there are "several thousand" Russian spies in America.
He said: "Out of 1,000 spies, one or two will perform. The Russians are very patient and will wait 15, 20 years."
Temptress ... Anna Chapman is feared to have recruited more spies
( The Sun )
No comments:
Post a Comment