EYE SPY ISSUE 2 1 , 2003 EYE SPY ISSUE 2 1 , 2003 54 INTELLIGENCE 55 LORDS OF THE RING e was supposed to have been a profes- sional. He should have known better, but in the end he could not resist. Using a satellite phone, the senior H al-Qaida operative excitedly called two associates and congratulated them on their cold-blooded assassination of an American diplomat. The call cost the man his liberty. It may yet cost him his life. Though he would not have known it at the time, his telephone call to two men accused of murdering the US diplomat Laurence Foley in October 2002 - killed in the garden of his Amman home by a volley of eight shots - was a fatal error. The call was intercepted by Britain’s electronic eaves- droppers at GCHQ, Cheltenham, and allowed coalition spooks to track the man from northern Iraq, to Syria, to Turkey - then straight into the arms of the waiting CIA. Four months later, the information extracted from the man in a Turkish interrogation cell was to play a major role in US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s address to the UN Security Council accusing the Iraqi regime of having links to al-Qaida - thus helping to pave the way for Gulf War II. “Iraqi officials deny accusa- tions of ties with al-Qaida,” said Powell. “These denials are simply not credible.” It was a classic example of the top secret work that goes on at GCHQ, Britain’s most powerful intelligence gathering agency. Encouraged by its biggest budget increase since the end of the cold war, GCHQ is now in the process of moving into a new £1.1 billion headquarters in the Cheltenham suburb of Benhall. Popularly known as ‘the doughnut,’ the four-story building is an amazing sight, looking for all the world as though an alien space ship has landed amid the rows of sleepy semis. At its heart lies a huge courtyard garden, bigger than the Albert Hall, which serves as a green refuge for the 4,000 linguists, code breakers, mathematicians and other experts who will clock into GCHQ each morning to wage covert war against the world’s most dangerous terrorists and criminals. Beneath the turf lurks a four-metre high blast-proof concrete vault, the length and breadth of Wembley Stadium, which houses banks of super mainframes that comprise the most powerful computer system in Europe. These feed an IT set-up of vast complexity, zapping their signals around the doughnut via 5,500 miles of cabling and 6,000 miles of electrical wiring. US diplomat Laurence Foley (centre) Don’t breathe a word, but Eye Spy has gained access to the government’s new top secret GCHQ building in Cheltenham... inside the new GCHQ by James Dennison The smart outer glass facde of GCHQ’s new headquarters
gchqnew
Mar 25, 2016
The call cost the man his liberty. It may yet cost him his life. Though he would not have known it at the time, his telephone call to two men accused of murdering the US diplomat Laurence Foley in October 2002 - killed in the garden of his Amman home by a volley of most powerful intelligence gathering agency. Encouraged by its biggest budget increase since the end of the cold war, GCHQ is now in the process of moving into a new £1.1 billion headquarters in the Cheltenham suburb of Benhall. 54
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E Y E S P Y I S S U E 2 1 , 2 0 0 3 E Y E S P Y I S S U E 2 1 , 2 0 0 354
INTELLIGENCE
55
LORDS OF THE RINGe was supposed tohave been a profes-sional. He shouldhave known better,but in the end hecould not resist.Using a satellitephone, the seniorH
al-Qaida operative excitedly called twoassociates and congratulated them ontheir cold-blooded assassination of anAmerican diplomat.
The call cost the man his liberty. It mayyet cost him his life. Though he wouldnot have known it at the time, histelephone call to two men accused ofmurdering the US diplomat LaurenceFoley in October 2002 - killed in thegarden of his Amman home by a volley of
eight shots - was a fatal error. The call wasintercepted by Britain’s electronic eaves-droppers at GCHQ, Cheltenham, andallowed coalition spooks to track the manfrom northern Iraq, to Syria, to Turkey - thenstraight into the arms of the waiting CIA.
Four months later, the informationextracted from the man in a Turkishinterrogation cell was to play a major rolein US Secretary of State Colin Powell’saddress to the UN Security Councilaccusing the Iraqi regime of having links toal-Qaida - thus helping to pave the way forGulf War II. “Iraqi officials deny accusa-tions of ties with al-Qaida,” said Powell.“These denials are simply not credible.”
It was a classic example of the top secretwork that goes on at GCHQ, Britain’s
most powerful intelligence gatheringagency. Encouraged by its biggest budgetincrease since the end of the cold war,GCHQ is now in the process of movinginto a new £1.1 billion headquarters inthe Cheltenham suburb of Benhall.
Popularly known as ‘the doughnut,’ thefour-story building is an amazing sight,looking for all the world as though analien space ship has landed amid the rowsof sleepy semis. At its heart lies a hugecourtyard garden, bigger than the AlbertHall, which serves as a green refuge forthe 4,000 linguists, code breakers,mathematicians and other experts whowill clock into GCHQ each morning towage covert war against the world’s mostdangerous terrorists and criminals.
Beneath the turf lurks a four-metre highblast-proof concrete vault, the length andbreadth of Wembley Stadium, which housesbanks of super mainframes that comprisethe most powerful computer system inEurope. These feed an IT set-up of vastcomplexity, zapping their signals aroundthe doughnut via 5,500 miles of cabling and6,000 miles of electrical wiring.
US diplomat LaurenceFoley (centre)
Don’t breathe aword, but Eye Spyhas gained accessto the government’s
new top secretGCHQ building in
Cheltenham...
inside the new GCHQ
by James Dennison
The smart outer glassfacde of GCHQ’s new
headquarters