Thread by @steffanwatkins

🇳🇴 Fascinating story out of Norway allegedly based on leaks of U.S. 🇺🇸 TS/SCI(?) ELINT/COMINT/SIGINT intelligence, allegedly confirmed by personnel from other NATO countries, that allege Russia 🇷🇺 is conducting reconnaissance with special forces in Norway.
aldrimer.no/russiske-spesi…

I do love news stories based on anonymous officials leaking the HIGHEST classifications of American intelligence. If that is to be believed, they have put their entire career in jeopardy to disclose this information to a journalist, and are now being hunted by their own.

Good journalism means confirming with multiple sources, and they did! They asked multiple other officials, in 3 countries, who had access to the same highly classified American intelligence; and they confirmed the information, putting their jobs in jeopardy too.

I don't have any info that would disprove the story, in fact I think it's highly likely. I question if the mission is out of the ordinary, and the probability that multiple people from multiple countries 1) knew information about this and 2) would risk everything to disclose it.

IF this is a rogue official's leak, a manhunt is underway in 3 different countries for officials who have leaked & confirmed this intel; I doubt that. This sounds like psyops. That ~4 officials put their family's well being on the line for this "leak" I find hard to believe.

So whose psyops campaign / press release is it from; NATO?
3 countries' officials agreed to talk about an INT matter; isn't that odd?
If it's true, what historical context is there?
Is this a first? When has it happened before?
Above all, why plant this story in the media now?

aaaand the Russians say this is pretext for increasing defence spending in next month's Norwegian budget.

If the American arms industry scores a huge contract from the Norwegians in their next budget, you tell me who's most likely behind the story.

https://twitter.com/TheOtherBernie/status/1177987652248915970?s=20