Snowden row intensifies as hidden bug found in Ecuador's embassy

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Snowden row intensifies as hidden bug found in Ecuador's embassy

Ecuadorean minister threatens to reveal perpetrators after device discovered during meeting over Assange

Nick Hopkins and Sam Jones
The Guardian, Wednesday 3 July 2013 16.14 EDT

Ricardo Patiño, Ecuador’s foreign minister, says the device was discovered a fortnight ago when he was in the UK to discuss Julian Assange. Photograph: Beretta/Sims/Rex Features

The international wrangle over the future of Edward Snowden took a further twist when Ecuador declared it had found a listening device in its London embassy and threatened to reveal who had planted it.
In another day of drama and diplomatic indignation, Ricardo Patiño, Ecuador's foreign minister, said the device had been discovered a fortnight ago when he had been in the UK to discuss another fugitive, the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Patiño said the hidden microphone had been found in the office of Ecuador's ambassador, Ana Alban, and he condemned the development as a "loss of international ethics".
If the claim proves true, the spotlight is likely to fall on Britain's intelligence agencies. MI5 would normally be tasked with concealing listening devices in buildings such as embassies in the UK, though MI6 could also seek authorisation.
This could not be done without ministers knowing. Theresa May, the home secretary, is responsible for the conduct of MI5 and deals with its most sensitive applications.
If the agency had planted the bug, her authority would have been needed. Such warrants have to be renewed at regular intervals as part of Britain's legal framework for spying activity.
Whitehall sources refused to be drawn on the bugging issue, saying they could "neither confirm nor deny" whether UK intelligence agencies had been involved.
Patiño's intervention came as leaders across Latin America condemned the treatment of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, whose plane was forced to land in Austria amid suspicions that it might be carrying Snowden, the US intelligence analyst. Morales was on his way back home after a trip toMoscow, where Snowden has been stranded since he left Hong Kong more than a week ago.
Bolivia accused Austria of "kidnapping" the president, who was kept in Vienna for 14 hours while his plane was searched.
France, Portugal and Spain were all said to have refused permission for the president's plane to enter their airspace, raising suspicions about the pressure being exerted by the US.

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