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MI6 Camera With Secret Images Bought on eBay for $US30
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 10:15 PM on September 30, 2008
A Nikon Coolpix camera belonging to the MI6--the British equivalent of the CIA--was sold on eBay for $US30 with images of al Qaeda suspects, fingerprints, names, rocket launchers, and missiles inside. That's bad enough, but it gets worse: the camera also contained top secret information that may compromise the security of James Bonds in the field.
For some reason, alongside these images there was a top secret document containing details on the encrypted computer system used by MI6 agents while conducting operations abroad. Some of the other images were related to this man, Abdul al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a top al Qaeda terrorist captured by the CIA in 2007.
Apparently, the eBay bidder found the pictures after downloading his vacation photos to his computer. The Foreign Office and the police are conducting an investigation, but for now, nobody has a clue about how the camera ended up on eBay. [Daily Mail]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
sumocat
Posted 11:03 PM 30/9/08
@chickdigger802: There are people who would kill for these photos. Pretty sure that's worse than any other "extra content" that's been reported.
sumocat
ThinkerTDM
Posted 10:56 PM 30/9/08
@toastandlove: Plus you really don't ask suspected terrorists to pose.
ThinkerTDM
meticans
Posted 10:52 PM 30/9/08
@Gizmo:
Whenever I want to fence some stolen government property, I use one of the ebay resellers in the strip mall nearby. With my fake ID and Mailboxes Etc box, I can cash the check and be gone before the good guys pick up the trail.
I guess it wouldn't be worth it for a $30 camera, tho.
(Just kidding NSA...)
meticans
RacecarBoobTat
Posted 10:49 PM 30/9/08
That is crazy. I really thought agents used Fujifilm.
RacecarBoobTat
fernando_maciel
Posted 10:43 PM 30/9/08
From the files of Police Squad... the Naked Gun
fernando_maciel
Gizmo
Posted 10:43 PM 30/9/08
"The Foreign Office and the police are conducting an investigation, but for now, nobody has a clue about how the camera ended on eBay. "
Jesus - if they can't find out by starting with eBay seller ID, what chance do they have in finding Bin Laden in a cave without Googlemaps?
Gizmo
toastandlove
Posted 10:36 PM 30/9/08
@TBM-Fan: It looks like that was only a tiny portion of the original picture.
toastandlove
fsusmithc2
Posted 10:34 PM 30/9/08
Looks like ol' James forgot and left his vacation pictures from Iraq on his camera again... For shame...
fsusmithc2
chickdigger802
Posted 10:33 PM 30/9/08
well the cam was only 30 bucks... and ppl gotten worse 'extra content' off stuff on ebay
chickdigger802
TBM-Fan
Posted 10:31 PM 30/9/08
hmm for a camera that size the picture looks terrible
looks like it's taken by a phone cam
but either way cheap camera with lots of hidden extras ^-^
TBM-Fan
ILoveToast
Posted 11:27 PM 30/9/08
Is that Zohan?
ILoveToast
Killjoy
Posted 11:26 PM 30/9/08
Clearly the solution is more cameras.
Killjoy
RE-L
Posted 11:21 PM 30/9/08
Ook, this is..I don't know what to think lol.
RE-L
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
Posted 11:21 PM 30/9/08
Was it the cameras internal memory, or memory card? Seriously, the UK needs their government people to bring their kids in every now and then, and have them work on their technology. If they can hide porn from their parent, the spy, then they can erase a cam's mem.
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
VideoVampire
Posted 11:21 PM 30/9/08
How cool to buy her majesty's secret camera on eBay? Next time they should mention that little selling point and they can probably do better than $30.
VideoVampire
Protocol X
Posted 11:51 PM 30/9/08
No nudies of hot al-qaeda girls gone wild?
Protocol X
dcartist
Posted 11:48 PM 30/9/08
@TBM-Fan:
Obviously it's a blowup of the face from a picture taken from a distance.
Terrorists don't tend to pose for portraits :P
dcartist
Null42
Posted 12:13 AM 1/10/08
Maybe somebody was trying to purposefully ditch it....though why they wouldn't just throw it in a trash can, I dunno...oops wrong camera?
Null42
tikibomb
Posted 12:10 AM 1/10/08
A coolpix I am pretty sure that "Q" could have done a better job.
tikibomb
Gizmo
Posted 11:57 PM 30/9/08
@meticans:
I'm sure the info would have gone for a tad more than $30.
Is that someone at your door? ;)
Gizmo
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
Posted 12:37 AM 1/10/08
@Protocol X: Their showing their ankles for our cameras!
Git Em SteveDave loves this guy-->
Toshie
Posted 12:29 AM 1/10/08
@dcartist: I see what you did there... (blowup terrorists)
Toshie
RE-L
Posted 1:03 AM 1/10/08
@Protocol X: You mean putting down their veils to show their faces. And maybe some wrist action as well.
RE-L
Kittenparade
Posted 1:56 AM 1/10/08
@ThinkerTDM: Judging by the picture though, It doesn't look exactly candid.
Kittenparade
TerryinSt.Paul
Posted 2:25 AM 1/10/08
Since when is Jeff Bridges a terrorist?
TerryinSt.Paul
jyanez2
Posted 2:18 AM 1/10/08
Sounds like it could possibly be some sort of publicity stunt for the new 007 movie.
jyanez2
ripfire
Posted 2:31 AM 1/10/08
@TerryinSt.Paul: When he tried to kill Tony Stark.
ripfire
RacecarBoobTat
Posted 2:59 AM 1/10/08
Was the sellers name MI6SecretAgentGuy?
RacecarBoobTat
dOk
Posted 2:59 AM 1/10/08
Well... now they will have to kill that guy who brought the camera...
Gotta be careful what you buy these days huh?
dOk
stephenzerotwo
Posted 4:08 AM 1/10/08
hobby alert: troll ebay for cheap or broken digital cameras that still have their memory cards intact.
use freeware programs to recover "deleted" files
its like people watching, but way creepier
stephenzerotwo
Snopes
Posted 4:05 AM 1/10/08
Didn't Coen brothers just release this movie?
Oh, wait. That was a disk. My bad.
Snopes
Pixlmonkey
Posted 4:02 AM 1/10/08
no way a working 5700 cost only $30.
Pixlmonkey
roflwaffles
Posted 6:42 AM 1/10/08
Im more impressed someone managed to win a camera for 30$.
roflwaffles
Slash3
Posted 6:23 PM 1/10/08
@roflwaffles: Seriously. Digital cameras of any sort tend to sell for quite a bit more on eBay than they would on classifieds or other sales forums.
Slash3
iGo
Posted 10:57 PM 30/9/08
That's bad enough, but it gets worse: the camera also contained top secret information that may compromise the security of James Bonds in the field.
Too bad, it didn't belong to Mr. Bond. After reading that line, I was hoping to find pictures of beautiful bond girls. Not some pervert looking terrorist.
iGo
Toshie
Posted 5:37 AM 2/10/08
@Kittenparade: The camera was hidden in a camel's butt.
Toshie