From: oscar05_mail.globalnet.co.uk
Sent: 18 May 2004 22:56
To: Erginsoy, Omer
Subject: (no subject)

Dear Omer,

Please read and pass on to people you think relevant outside Brazil...Then
lets discuss briefly and obliquely...

As you know, we have been advised that a request was made by relevant
authorities re TV e-mail. We have obtained further information which indicates that TV's mobile phone bills have been obtained since 3rd May. They obtained permission for a tap on the phone on 15th April.

The team that asked for this is the C team in the relevant agency here. The irony is that TV has nothing to do with C. The only point of contacy he has had with C is the driver who also appears in the request, so we at least know what prompted the interest.

You will recall that - according to the same source who alerted us to the TV situation - the C team was the subject of a dawn raid on a SP hotel last week by agents from another part of the same agency. The raid team was heavily armed with machine guns and gave the C team a beating before removing documents (see JC e-mai to CAC last week). The reason for these extraordinary events is unclear but must relate to something big. At this point the only link with our situation is the source, and the C team.

The intel re our situation has been independently verified through semi-public records.

Although we dont know exactly why the driver is of so much interest, one
likely answer is that he has written to many official bodies and kicked up
quite a fuss over what he sees as his involuntary involvement in the scandal.
He has quite probably put someone's back up. Another scenario is that this is a 'private initiative' within that agency prompted by elements linked to C.
(It could even have been prompted by T in theory).

The mobile phone of TV in question has not been used since around the time of the request as TV and I obtained phones in the names of third parties as a security measure against possible TIM interest.

However - TV used the new phone socially and therefore had calls re-directed to the new phone. This - and the fact that thay have almost definately tapped his home line means that it is more than likely that they have obtained his
other number.

In this case it is also likely that they have obtained my numbers (UK and
Brazilian) and my e-mail. They should not be able to 'get into' my e-mail
which I access through a remote internet webmail, same with my UK phone. It is quite possible that they could be tapping the hotel phone.

K management here are in the picture and I am meeting W in person on Thursday.

Implications:

Immediate - great care and discretion in all C (and the other)comms and
reports, especially relating to technical issues (this already passed to TV
and JC).

Immediate - Plan for worst case scenario and hope for best. Very worst case (frankly unlikely but...)If I am off air for any considerable time ring KRIO
and then British Consulate (+5521 2555 9600). At the end of the day this is a perfectly elgitimate project for a perfectly legitimate client and we haven't
broken any laws...mmm

Immediate - Take whatever steps you think necessary re client etc if any.

Medium Term - Lets please institurte PGP regime I suggested some time ago. I am asking K here to adopt this (lets see thursday...).

Medium Term - We will consider/are considering the best way to defuse this situation.

General points:

Don't be paranoid but take some sensible precautions when travelling here.

At the end of the day we aren't secret agents and we dont have the reason or the means to try to 'hide'. In a sense, them knowing what we are doing offers a degree of 'protection'...a sudden attempt to hide away is exactly what could provoke a knock on the door at midnight.

That said, there is no reason to stop taking legitimate precautions which we were planning to take anyway viz non-official monitoring (eg TIM). I still think the office is good/necassary and I am looking for a small 'apart-hotel', not so much because of the above but because of our opponents and because it is cheaper and more comfortable when staying more than a few days.

Remember that this project is not going on in isolation. This is not the first time such interest has been taken in K here. What is needed is NOT an over reaction. At this point the resolution is local and requires cool heads
and at least some knowledge of what is going on on the ground. That said I would be interested to know if FH thinks he can make any particular contribution in terms of contacts. Remember that JK was almost arrested here so no more help from that quarter please!!

Best Regards and Dont Worry!!!

Bill