Hunt for diplomatic pouch
#thread
The @tageblatt_lu has a story about a plane crash 40 years ago in Luxembourg. One important detail is missing: the interest Western intel services in the wreckage of the Aeroflot Flight 343. 1/7 tageblatt.lu/headlines/sieb…
7 passengers die in Luxembourg on 29 September 1982 when an Aeroflot IL-62M aircraft fails to land. The plane from Moscow was en route to Ireland, Cuba, Nicaragua and Peru via Luxembourg. In the luggage of the plane there is a lot of diplomatic pouches for the destinations 2/7
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) - Article 27 states: "The diplomatic bag shall not be opened or detained.“ So it's not no baggage, and it's untouchable. However, for intelligence services it is a treasure. And this treasure lies in the wreckage of the IL-62M 3/7
The then #SRE (Luxembourg State intel service )Chief of Operations Charles Hoffmann recalls a couple of men from off duty. They immerse in the chaos at the scene of the accident. Their target: the diplomatic pouch from Moscow. "Observers" from the US Embassy were also on site 4/7
An eyewitness observes men from the Soviet embassy searching the wreckage. He says there were people everywhere, even those who had no business being there. It is unclear whether the intelligence services from East and West found what they were looking for 5/7
A 106-page #CIA study (date unknown) explains in detail how a Soviet embassy or mission works - including diplomatic pouch. Excerpt: „RIS (Russian Intel Services) pouch procedures are far too complicated to be described in this study.“ 6/7 Source: cia.gov/readingroom/do…
More background on the #SRE and the Soviets in Luxembourg👇 7/7
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