British couple Craig and Lindsay Foreman, who embarked on a round-the-world motorcycle trip, were arrested last month in Iran. They have been charged with espionage and accused of entering the country “posing as tourists” and collecting information about their detention.

All we know about Craig and Lindsay Foreman

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, an adventure-loving British couple in their early fifties, crossed into Iran from Armenia on December 30 and were to leave for Pakistan by January 4.

They wanted to complete the trip this year in Australia as part of their psychology research project, asking people what their understanding of a “good life” was.

According to her Facebook profile, Lindsay has a doctorate in coaching and mentoring from Oxford Brookes University. She also studied Positive psychology at University of East London. Her husband, Craig, is a carpenter, BBC reported. 

In 2019, the pair moved from East Sussex to start a new life in Spain. In 2022, the Foremans showcased their lives as expats in the southern Spanish area of Andalucia on an edition of Channel 4’s A New Life in the Sun.

The couple obtained motorcycle licenses in August 2024 after Lindsay said she wanted to overcome her fear of motorcycles. It stemmed from her brother’s death in a bike accident in 1993,  

The married couple was active on social media and posted regular updates from Iran before their arrest. In a Facebook post on January 3, Lindsay shared multiple photos, writing, “The Oneness of Humanity.”

She mentioned that despite differences, they have seen “something beautifully universal: kindness, humour, hospitality-and a shared love of good food!”

“Let’s focus on what unites us, celebrate each other’s truths, and embrace the beauty of connection,” she added.

In a December 30 post on Facebook, she said the couple was “moving forward” with their journey to Iran and Pakistan despite friends, family and authorities warning against it.

“Because we believe that, no matter where you are in the world, most people are good, kind humans striving for a meaningful life,” she wrote in her post.

Describing the couple as “just normal family people”, Alison Smith, a former neighbour of Foremans, said she was surprised by their  decision to travel to Iran,

“They thought they were going to be going on an adventure,” she told BBC.

The “very sporty, very adventurous” couple had been on “loads of adventures” in the past, Ms Smith said.

It is still unclear when Craig and Lindsay Foreman were detained. The Iranian state media on February 13 reported the two British nationals were in custody on security-related charges.

New Delhi:

It’s June, 2009. The streets of Tehran have erupted in protests over the results of a presidential election. The incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has emerged victorious with an overwhelming majority against Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Protesters alleged a fraudulent victory. Among them is a woman named Neda Agha-Soltan, who on her way to join the main protests, parked her car at some distance from the gathering and stepped out as the vehicle’s air conditioner was not working. As she breathed in the fresh air, a sniper belonging to a government-funded militia took aim and shot her square in the chest. She was dead.

While this was unfolding in Tehran, around 300 kilometres to the south at the Natanz nuclear facility, the heart of Iran’s nuclear program – ‘strange’ things were happening. Just days after Neda’s death, the CIA reportedly received approval to initiate a cyber operation against this facility. The operation involved uploading a sophisticated piece of malware, known as Stuxnet, directly onto Iranian hardware. This malware had been in development for years, a collaborative effort between the United States and Israel, and represented the world’s first digital weapon.

Stuxnet: The Genesis

Stuxnet was not a new presence in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure; it had been causing disruptions for years. However, this new version was designed to deliver a decisive blow. 

The story of Stuxnet’s development and deployment began years earlier. The inception of Stuxnet can be traced back to the early 2000s, during a period of heightened tension between Iran and Western nations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The Bush administration, concerned about Iran’s potential to develop nuclear weapons, sought unconventional methods to impede Tehran’s progress. Thus, the covert operation codenamed ‘Olympic Games’ was born. This initiative, involving close collaboration between the CIA, the NSA, and Israel’s Mossad, aimed to create a digital weapon capable of physically disrupting Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities.

Stuxnet was not an ordinary piece of malware. Its design reflected a level of sophistication unprecedented in the realm of cyber weapons. The malware targeted Siemens Step7 software, used to control industrial equipment, specifically focusing on the centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility. These centrifuges, essential for enriching uranium, operated at high speeds and required precise control to function correctly.

Stuxnet: The Execution

The US built a replica of Iran’s nuclear facility in its Oak Ridge facility in the state of Tennessee, where they meticulously studied the centrifuges to understand how to sabotage them without detection. In 2007, the first version of Stuxnet was released, targeting these centrifuges by preventing the release of pressure through the valves, causing the uranium gas to solidify and the centrifuges to spin out of control and ultimately self-destruct.

Iran’s nuclear facility was air-gapped, meaning its network was offline, so Stuxnet had to be introduced via an inside agent using a USB drive. The malware operated undetected, using a rootkit to hide its presence and stolen digital certificates to appear as legitimate commands. Despite its effectiveness, initial versions of Stuxnet only slowed Iran’s progress, and did not sabotage it entirely.

In response, US researchers developed a more aggressive version of Stuxnet, using four zero-day exploits and stolen private keys to sign its commands. This version could spread rapidly, even across air-gapped networks, and reprogram the centrifuges to destroy themselves while masking the sabotage as hardware malfunctions.

Stuxnet: The Implications

An insider at Natanz introduced this new version of Stuxnet, and it quickly spread throughout the facility’s network. However, its aggressive nature led to unintended consequences: the malware spread beyond Natanz, infecting computers across Iran and eventually the globe. The CIA, realising the uncontrollable spread of Stuxnet, decided to continue with the operation, hoping it would remain undetected within Natanz.

Their hopes were dashed when cybersecurity firm Symantec discovered Stuxnet and published a detailed report on the malware. Iran soon realised the extent of the cyber attack and took measures to protect their nuclear program. Despite the setbacks caused by Stuxnet, Iran vowed to continue its nuclear ambitions.

One of the earlier hints of Stuxnet’s existence emerged in June 2010 when a Belarusian cybersecurity firm discovered an unusual piece of malware on an Iranian computer. As cybersecurity experts from around the world began analysing the code, they were astounded by its complexity and purpose. 

Impact On Iran’s Nuclear Program

Stuxnet’s impact on Iran’s nuclear program was significant but not immediately catastrophic. By 2009, Iran had installed over 7,000 centrifuges at Natanz, but Stuxnet caused approximately 1,000 of these to fail. The disruptions forced Iran to temporarily halt its enrichment activities and replace the damaged equipment, delaying its nuclear ambitions by several months to years.

The Iranian government, initially oblivious to the cause of the centrifuge failures, eventually recognised the cyber intrusion. Publicly, Iran downplayed the impact of Stuxnet, but internally, it spurred significant investment in cybersecurity measures and the development of offensive cyber capabilities.

Over the following years, targeted assassinations of key Iranian nuclear scientists further crippled their program. Car bombings and other attacks eliminated many of the leaders involved, including the director of the Natanz facility.

Stuxnet: Global Fallout

Stuxnet did not confine itself to Iran. It spread to other countries, including India, Indonesia, and Pakistan, affecting industrial systems worldwide. In India, several critical infrastructure facilities,  reportedly infecting as many as 80,000 computers. Several power plants and manufacturing units were also found to be vulnerable to similar attacks.

In 2013, India adopted the National Cyber Security Policy which focused on “protection of information infrastructure and preservation of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information in cyberspace”. The following year, the Centre announced the formation of the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre to further safeguard India’s cyber security space. 
 

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is on trial on spying charges, smiles inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed American journalists on July 18 for delaying talks between his U.S. counterparts about a possible prisoner exchange involving imprisoned Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

A day before Mr. Gershkovich is scheduled to appear in court on espionage charges, Mr. Lavrov told a U.N. news conference that confidential negotiations are still “ongoing.” Mr. Gershkovich, the Journal and the U.S. vehemently deny the allegations against him and denounced the trial as a sham and illegitimate.

On March 29, 2023, Mr. Gershkovich was arrested while on a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, a city in the Ural Mountains. He is being charged with espionage, but Russian authorities have not offered any evidence that he was gathering secret information for the United States.

If convicted, he will face up to 20 years in prison, although Russia has indicated that they are open to a prisoner swap after a verdict.

Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants. Prosecutors can appeal sentences that they consider to be too lenient, and they even can appeal acquittals.

Sydney:

The head of Australia’s main intelligence agency on Wednesday revealed the existence of an “A-Team” of foreign spies that for several years has recruited Australian academics, politicians and businesspeople, gaining access to sensitive political, economic and defence information.

In an extremely rare public revelation of counterespionage operations, Mike Burgess, Australia’s director-general of security, revealed the existence of the unit, belonging to an unnamed country, in a bid to disrupt ongoing operations.

“Right now there is a particular team in a particular foreign intelligence service with a particular focus on Australia — we are its priority target,” Burgess said in a speech in Canberra.

“We call them ‘the A-team’ — the Australia team.”

“Many of the people here tonight are almost certainly high-value targets. The team is aggressive and experienced; its tradecraft is good — but not good enough,” he said.

Burgess, who runs the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said the unit had targeted Australians with access to “privileged information” on social networking sites using “false, anglicised personas” and promising cash rewards.

“The spies pose as consultants, head-hunters, local government officials, academics and think tank researchers, claiming to be from fictional companies such as Data 31,” he said.

“If a target takes the bait, the spies try to move the conversation onto an encrypted messaging app. A further step might involve the offer of an overseas trip to meet in person.”

He outlined examples of when the approach had been successful, gleaning information from an academic and an unnamed former politician who “sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime”.

“At one point, the former politician even proposed bringing a prime minister’s family member into the spies’ orbit,” he said.

– Spy vs Spy –

Explaining why he had declassified information about the unit, its operations, and the counterespionage measures taken against it, Burgess said he wanted to warn Australians of the risks.

“On just one professional networking site, there are 14,000 Australians publicly boasting about having a security clearance or working in the intelligence community. Some even out themselves as intelligence officers,” he said. 

Australia is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group that includes the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand — making it a juicy target for operatives from countries such as China and Russia.

But Burgess said he also wanted to let the other country know that its spies had been rumbled and that the unit’s team leader had been confronted by Australia’s own spies.

“We want the A-team to know its cover is blown. We want the A-team’s bosses to know its cover is blown,” he said.

“If the team leader failed to report our conversation to his spymasters, he will now have to explain why he didn’t, along with how ASIO knows so much about his team’s operations and identities.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The families of eight former Indian Navy personnel who have been sentenced to death in Qatar have categorically denied that the men had anything to do with espionage and pointed out that there has been no “proof of allegations” from the country. 

The veterans, who were arrested last year, are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. They worked for a private firm, Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, which provided training and other services for Qatar’s armed forces.

While the details of the October 26 verdict against the eight men by the Court of First Instance in Qatar are still not clear, reports have suggested that they had been convicted of spying for Israel on a submarine project. In a statement to NDTV, the families of the seven former officers and one sailor have denied all the allegations. 

“The eight ex-Indian Naval officers were not engaged in espionage for Israel. They went to build the Qatari navy and build that nation’s security. They could never spy. There are no allegations or proof of allegations from Qatar,” the statement said, adding that none of them were associated with any submarine program when working at Dahra Global. 

Some of the men were decorated officers and had commanded warships during their time at the Indian Navy. Pointing to their impeccable record, the statement added, “All the men have had distinguished service with full integrity and represented the nation with high honour while serving in the Indian Navy.” 

The eight men were arrested in August 2022 and have been in custody for the most part as their bail applications had been rejected several times. The government, which had said it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict, has been working with the Qatar government to free the former Navy personnel. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the families of the men on Monday and said that he shares their pain and concern. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the foreign minister had said, “Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case. Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard.”

On the same day, Navy Chief Admiral Hari Kumar had also said that the Centre was making every effort to secure the release of the Navy veterans.