British spies accused of giving secrets to China and Russia with LinkedIn boasts

Dopey British spies have been accused of gifting Chinese and Russian agents top secret info by boasting online about their work.

More than 1,000 spooks are said to be putting our national security at risk with reckless posts on business networking site LinkedIn.

Many are counter-intelligence officers and analysts from covert listening post GCHQ, making themselves potential targets for enemy powers.

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Several who brag about their high-level security status even include links to their CVs, with mobile phone numbers and addresses.

Ex-military intelligence colonel Philip Ingram dubbed it an “open goal for spies”.

He added: “You wouldn’t tell a stranger in a supermarket your home address, phone number and security clearance status, so why would you do it online?”

It is feared a breach could cause widespread loss of life and cripple the UK economy.

MI5 director general Ken McCallum, who last week warned of a “breathtaking” threat from China, also highlighted the risks of LinkedIn.

Profiles available to anyone around the world with an internet connection include a missile engineer who gloats about signing the Official Secrets Act, a senior manager working on a Navy programme which is building frigates to hunt down Russian subs, a test pilot for our F-35B fighter jet, and an ex-RAF specialist who provided secret briefings for GCHQ, MI6 and NATO.

Another belongs to a senior officer from 16 Air Assault Brigade, believed to be on standby in case troops are sent to Ukraine.

Buckingham University intelligence expert Prof Anthony Glees said the scandal was “one of the single gravest threats to national security right now”.

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He added: “If I were working in Russian military intelligence, I’d be leveraging everything I could to learn more about things like Britain’s drone and anti-air missile programmes.

“LinkedIn would be an obvious first step, as it helps you track down the people who know those programmes intimately.”

A Government spokesman said: “We do not comment on individuals’ security clearance.”

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