Airport Spy Arrest-CHINA

Airport Spy Arrest
By Chris Camp @ July 14, 2009 3:43 AM

(WSB Radio) -- Federal agents arrested a Chinese national at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Monday, for smuggling technology and money laundering.

Chi Tong Kuok was arrested after a 3 year long investigation that followed his attempted purchases through Western-Union, Paypal accounts and bank tranfers.

Kuok is suspected of trying to purchase high tech gadgets such as, radios, sensitive military encryption gear and a controller for secure satellite communications for military aircraft.

Agent Ken Smith, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the devices Kuok was trying to purchase are so sensitive that you need special permission to export them out of the country.

"Our primary goal is to prevent the illegal export of goods that can be used by another country's military to do us harm," Smith said.

When agents arrested Kuok he said he was "acting at the direction of officials for the People's Republic of China" and that they "sought the items to figure out ways to listen to or monitor U.S. government and military communications."

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Defense agents arrested Kuok during his layover from Paris to Panama.

"Often times components are purchased so that specific technology can use reviewed, copied or re-engineered for other purposes," Smith said.


http://wsbradio.com/localnews/2009/07/a ... rrest.html