Washington
Israel set up scanners to intercept cell phone communications in the area around the White House in Washington, according to a report Thursday which was denied by the Jewish state.
Politico reported that US officials believe Israelis were most likely the ones who set up several so-called stingray scanners, which mimic cell phone towers to intercept nearby calls and text messages that were discovered in downtown Washington in 2017.
Several former national security officials told Politico that forensic analysis by the FBI and other agencies of the devices tied them to Israeli agents.
‘The devices were likely intended to spy on President Donald Trump, one of the former officials said, as well as his top aides and closest associates — though it’s not clear whether the Israeli efforts were successful,’ Politico wrote. Israel, one of the United States’ closest allies, issued a strong denial.
‘Israel does not conduct any espionage missions in the United States,’ said Foreign and Intelligence Minister Israel Katz.
‘The United States and Israel share between them a great deal of intelligence information and work together to prevent threats and to strengthen the security of the two states.’
Stingrays are formally known as international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers, devices able to monitor and track cellular device communications as they interact with networks.—APP
