Post date: Dec 05, 2010 9:56:48 PM
British MP denies an employee is a Russian spy after the intelligence services arrest a woman accused of being a sleeper agent.
LONDON, UK (FILE 2010) ITN - A young Russian woman working for a British lawmaker is facing deportation after security services detained her on suspicion of espionage, British newspaper the Sunday Times reported on Sunday (December 5).
The paper reported that Katia Zatuliveter, 25, secretly worked for the Russian intelligence as a "sleeper" agent.
She had been working for Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock who sits on parliament's defence select committee which examines defence policy but has no access to secret material.Hancock, who is also an MP for Porstmouth in southern England where there is a large naval base, denied his research assistant had done anything wrong.
" Hancock said. He said she would appeal moves to deport her.
The lawmaker said that the domestic security service, MI5, had never raised any concerns about her with him.
Hancock told told the BBC she was arrested on Thursday morning and taken to an immigration detention centre in London, before being moved to another centre where she is being held and putting her appeal together.
He said his assistant, who had worked for him for close to three years, had passed strict security vetting procedures to work in parliament.
The paper said her removal was approved by Home Secretary (interior minister) Theresa May after being briefed about her activities.
The Home Office said it could not comment on individual cases or confirm deportation orders were in place. London's Metropolitan police referred all queries to the UK Border Agency, who was not answering calls.
The Russian embassy in London could not be reached for comment.
"Any potential adversarial intelligence agency is interested in penetrating the Palace of Westminister firstly for access to personalities so that is the role of any agent of influence, secondly to e able to identify people who are potentially vulnerable," Intelligence Historian Nigel West said.
The Sunday times said it was the first time since the end of the Cold War that someone working in parliament had been accused of spying for the Russians.