2008-01-06 For sale - West's deadly nuclear secrets

2008-01-06  Times Online \US national security\Sibel Edmonds\US government corruption\US-Pakistan relations\Pakistan http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3137695.ece For sale: West’s deadly nuclear secrets For sale - West’s deadly nuclear secrets  A whistleblower has made a series of extraordinary claims about how corrupt government officials allowed Pakistan and other states to steal nuclear weapons secrets.

Sibel Edmonds, a 37-year-old former Turkish language translator for the FBI, listened into hundreds of sensitive intercepted conversations while based at the agency's Washington field office.

She approached The Sunday Times last month after reading about an Al-Qaeda terrorist who had revealed his role in training some of the 9/11 hijackers while he was in Turkey.

Edmonds described how foreign intelligence agents had enlisted the support of US officials to acquire a network of moles in sensitive military and nuclear institutions.

Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.

The name of the official – who has held a series of top government posts – is known to The Sunday Times. He strongly denies the claims.

Sibel Edmonds, former Turkish language translator for the FBI, &ldquo;heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.&rdquo;   