Counterintelligence advisory describes student snoops

WASHINGTON — The United States is quietly warning officials to beware of Israelis and Islamic militants who snoop around government offices.

U.S. officials said the Israelis and Islamic militants pose as foreign students and attempt to enter federal buildings and learn of activities in government offices. When they are stopped, the intruders identify themselves as delivering works of art.

So far, two intruders have been arrested, Middle East Newsline reports. The officials said the intruders have also tried to enter the homes of senior U.S. federal administrators.

"There may be two groups involved, and they refer to themselves as 'Israeli art students,'" a warning issued by the National Counterintelligence Center said. "One group has an apparently legitimate money-making goal while the second, perhaps a non-Israeli group, may have ties to a Middle Eastern Islamic fundamentalist group."

U.S. officials said the intrusion effort began in late January.

Israel was named as one of five U.S. allies that pursue the most aggressive efforts to obtain industrial secrets in the United States. Other U.S. allies named in the National Counterintelligence Center's report to Congress were France, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The center, staffed by CIA and FBI personnel, coordinates government efforts to identify and counter foreign intelligence threats to U.S. national and economic security.

It was the first time the center identified specific countries as engaging in espionage. The report by the center to Congress asserted that these countries seek technology on information systems, sensors, lasers, electronics and aeronautic systems technologies.