Report: Embassy Attack Ringleader Worked for CIA in Libya

This story comes from Chosun Ilbo, one of South Korea’s largest and most conservative news outlets.

Adrian Hong Chang

Adrian Hong Chang, the alleged ringleader of the Feb. 22 attack on the North Korean embassy in Madrid, has worked with the CIA on multiple occasions, according to Chosun Ilbo. That claim has yet to be confirmed.

Hong Chang was identified by Spanish authorities as the ringleader of the group’s daredevil raid on the North Korean Embassy in Madrid, walking in ahead of his posse under the pretext of a meeting with an embassy official.

The story is baffling and possibly overblown.

The Washington Post reported that Chang shared his information with the FBI, an odd thing for a burglar to do. The United States government has denied involvement, which may well be true. El Pais, a leading daily in Spain, says Spanish officials are reportedly dissatisfied by CIA explanations.

Are El Pais and Chosun Ilbo overplaying the story? It could be.

Here are the details I’m trying to confirm now. From Chosun Ilbo (again, not necessarily a reliable source):

Hong is believed to be 35 years old. According to sources in human rights groups in Washington, he joined the fight for human rights in North Korea when he was studying history at Yale University in 2004.

He set up an activist group called Liberty in North Korea (LiNK)  and worked to help people defecting from North Korea.

Around 2011, he signed a consulting contract with the U.S. government and went into Libya after the ouster of former leader Muammar Gaddafi to support the creation of an interim government there. His consulting work often involved the CIA.

None of this should be taken at face value. All of it needs checking.

Source: Who Is Anti-N.Korean Guerrilla Leader? – The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea – World