Richard Tomlinson
Encyclopedia
Richard Tomlinson is a New Zealand
-born British
former MI6
officer who was imprisoned during 1997 for violating the Official Secrets Act 1989
by giving the synopsis of a proposed book detailing his career in the Secret Intelligence Service to an Australian publisher. The book, named The Big Breach, was published in Moscow during 2001.
, New Zealand
and grew up in Armathwaite
, England
, and was educated at Barnard Castle School
where he was a contemporary of England Rugby Internationals Rory Underwood
and Rob Andrew
. He excelled at mathematics and physics, and then won an entrance scholarship to Cambridge University. He was first approached by MI6 during 1984 after graduating from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
, with a First Class Honours Degree
in Engineering. He also completed flying training with Cambridge University Air Squadron
, won a Cambridge Half Blue for Modern Pentathlon
, and on graduation he was accepted to join the Royal Navy
as a Fleet Air Arm
Officer. However he instead joined a management consultancy company named LEK. It is believed that he ended his employment with LEK during 1986.
He worked briefly during the summer of 1986 as an intern
at the World Bank
and then won a prize from the Rotary Foundation
, allowing him to study in the country of his choice for a year. He enrolled in a political science
course at the University of Buenos Aires
, where he became a fluent Spanish speaker. He continued to pursue his aeronautical interests and qualified as a glider
pilot with the Fuerza Aérea Argentina
.
("Artists' Rifles") and in 23 SAS, qualifying as a military parachutist, and radio operator. He also represented Britain in the 1990 Camel Trophy
, competing in Siberia, USSR, and crossed the Sahara desert by motorcycle alone. He finally joined MI6 during 1991. He completed his training with MI6 and claims he was the best recruit on his course, being awarded the rarely given "Box 1" attribute, by his instructing officers including Nicholas Langman
. He then served in the "SOV/OPS" department, working during the ending phases of the Cold War
against the Soviet Union
, before being posted to Sarajevo
as the MI6 representative in Bosnia
during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia
. His next posting was to work as an undercover agent against Iran
, where he succeeded in penetrating the Iranian Intelligence Service, presumably SAVAMA. MI6 dismissed him—he claimed without warning and for unexplained reasons—during 1995. Tomlinson disputed the reasons for and legality of his dismissal and attempted to take MI6 before an employment tribunal
. However, MI6 obtained a Public Interest Immunity
Certificate from Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind
. Having no further legal recourse to appeal against his dismissal, Tomlinson left the United Kingdom and pursued his arguments against MI6 publicly, by publishing articles in the international press about his treatment, and began work on a book (which later became The Big Breach). Perhaps as a result of Tomlinson's campaign, during 1998 the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee
recommended that MI6 should be subject to UK employment law. Employees of MI6 (and GCHQ and MI5) now have the same employment rights as other British citizens, including written contracts and access to employment tribunals. However, MI6 refused to allow these procedures to be applied retrospectively to Tomlinson's case.
It is of note that MI6 have never succeeded in obtaining another PII certificate since the Tomlinson case, even though they have been subjected to more rigorous court scrutiny (for example the Inquest into the death of the Princess of Wales) than would have been involved with an employment tribunal.
. He was accused of giving a four-page synopsis of his proposed book to an Australian publisher—though MI6
have never claimed that he revealed any secret information. Tomlinson was remanded in custody at HMP Belmarsh as a Category A prisoner—- a category normally reserved for dangerous offenders. When it was announced that the trial would be held in a High Court, meaning that Tomlinson would be held on remand for as much as two years, longer than any likely sentence, he pleaded guilty to violating the Official Secrets Act 1989
. At the sentencing hearing, John Scarlett
, the chief prosecution witness, claimed that Tomlinson "had gravely damaged national security" and "had put agents' lives at risk". Tomlinson was not allowed to call any defence witnesses. Tomlinson received a twelve month custodial sentence. He served six months in HMP Belmarsh before being released early for good behaviour on 1 May 1998. Since 1998, foreign police services, including those of Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and Monaco have all arrested and detained him at the request of MI6, but he has not been charged subsequently with an offence.
On completion of his three months probationary licence on 31 August 1998, Tomlinson left the United Kingdom
to live in exile. He set about completing The Big Breach, which was published during 2001 in Russia. After the Court of Appeal of England and Wales
subsequently ruled in his favour it was made available in the UK. However, immediately after publication, the British Government obtained a High Court Order to confiscate proceeds from the book and any newspaper serialisation rights, on the grounds that the government owned the copyright to anything written by Tomlinson. Finally, during September 2008, MI6 ended all legal objection to the publication of The Big Breach, released the proceeds from the publication to Tomlinson, and admitted that their previous legal actions against him were disproportionate. However, they still refused to reinstate Tomlinson to MI6, or compensate Tomlinson for the loss of his career and pension. Tomlinson can now travel freely to the UK. The book can now be downloaded free in electronic form (see "External links").
's websites. It has been alleged that Tomlinson was the source of the list, but he has always denied this.
Tomlinson published a list of nine names on his own website on Geocities
. The site was subsequently terminated by the host due to a complaint by a third party. He carried a link to a copy of the LaRouche list on his website, with comments on the inaccuracy of individual entries, intending to show that he was not its author.
, requested by the United Kingdom, was issued. The warrant claimed Tomlinson was involved with the publication of two lists containing the names of MI6 officers during 2005. The police seized computers, personal papers and other items from his home in Cannes, and from his place of employment, resulting in the loss of this employment. He was subsequently cleared entirely of any involvements with the lists, though was never compensated for the damage to his career caused by the allegations. It was reported in some quarters that this arrest was linked to the inquiries into the death of Diana of Wales. During this period Tomlinson maintained several of webblogs publicising his treatment.
During 2008, Tomlinson was a witness for the inquest into the deaths of the Princess of Wales
and Dodi al Fayed. He had suggested that Britain's Secret Intelligence Service was monitoring Diana before her death and that her driver on the night she died, Henri Paul
, may have been an MI6 informant, and that her death represented plans he saw during 1992 for the assassination of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
, using a bright light to cause a traffic accident.
At the Coroner's Inquest into the death of the Princess, on 13 February 2008, speaking by video-link from France, Tomlinson conceded that, after the interval of 16 or 17 years, he "could not remember specifically" whether the document he had seen during 1992 had in fact proposed the use of a strobe light to cause a traffic accident as a means of assassinating Milosevic, although use of lights for this purpose had been covered in his MI6 training. On being told that no MI6 file on Henri Paul had been found, Tomlinson said that it "would be absurd after 17 years to say I can positively disagree with it, but...I do not think the fact that they did not manage to find a file rules out anything either". He said he believed MI6 had an informant at the Paris Ritz but he could not be certain, and had never claimed, that that person was necessarily Henri Paul.
unit called "The Increment" which performs covert operations
on behalf of HM Government, claiming that operators are selected from the "cream of the crop" of the SAS and SBS
, and work on Security Service and Secret Intelligence Service supervised missions. The same unit is known as Counter Revolutionary Warfare unit (CRW) in the SAS
. The author Chris Ryan used the term in the title of his 2004 novel The Increment.
, using a nom de guerre. He served with 3rd Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
until discharged medically during 2003. Tomlinson retrained as a commercial pilot during 2005, and now works as a business jet pilot.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
-born British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
former MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
officer who was imprisoned during 1997 for violating the Official Secrets Act 1989
Official Secrets Act 1989
The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. It is said to have removed the public interest defence created by that section....
by giving the synopsis of a proposed book detailing his career in the Secret Intelligence Service to an Australian publisher. The book, named The Big Breach, was published in Moscow during 2001.
Education and military training
He was born in NgaruawahiaNgaruawahia
Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and grew up in Armathwaite
Armathwaite
Armathwaite is a village in the English ceremonial county of Cumbria.Historically within the county of Cumberland, Armathwaite lies on the River Eden, forms part of Eden district and is served by Armathwaite railway station...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and was educated at Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School
Barnard Castle School , is a co-educational independent day and boarding school situated in the market town of Barnard Castle, in the North East of England. It was founded in 1883 as the North Eastern County School, with the name changed to the current one in 1924, and to this day is generally...
where he was a contemporary of England Rugby Internationals Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood
Rory Underwood MBE is a former English rugby union footballer who played wing for, most notably, Leicester Tigers and Bedford. He represented England and the British Lions and is a former Royal Air Force pilot....
and Rob Andrew
Rob Andrew
Christopher Robert "Rob" Andrew MBE , nicknamed "Squeaky", is a former English rugby union footballer and currently Director of Operations at the RFU. He was formerly the Director of Rugby of Newcastle Falcons. As a player, Andrew was assured in his kicking and defensive skills off both feet...
. He excelled at mathematics and physics, and then won an entrance scholarship to Cambridge University. He was first approached by MI6 during 1984 after graduating from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, with a First Class Honours Degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Engineering. He also completed flying training with Cambridge University Air Squadron
Cambridge University Air Squadron
Cambridge University Air Squadron, abbreviated CUAS, formed in 1925, is the training unit of the Royal Air Force at the University of Cambridge and forms part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. It is the oldest of 14 University Air Squadrons in the UK...
, won a Cambridge Half Blue for Modern Pentathlon
Modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
, and on graduation he was accepted to join the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
Officer. However he instead joined a management consultancy company named LEK. It is believed that he ended his employment with LEK during 1986.
He worked briefly during the summer of 1986 as an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
at the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and then won a prize from the Rotary Foundation
Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs...
, allowing him to study in the country of his choice for a year. He enrolled in a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
course at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, where he became a fluent Spanish speaker. He continued to pursue his aeronautical interests and qualified as a glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
pilot with the Fuerza Aérea Argentina
Argentine Air Force
The Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. , it had 14,606 military and 6,854 civilian staff.-History:...
.
Military and MI6 service
During 1987 Tomlinson returned to the United Kingdom and served for five years in the Territorial Army's 21 SASArtists' Rifles
The Artists Rifles is a volunteer regiment of the British Army. Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Boer Wars and World War I, earning a number of battle honours; however, it did not serve outside of Britain during World War II, as...
("Artists' Rifles") and in 23 SAS, qualifying as a military parachutist, and radio operator. He also represented Britain in the 1990 Camel Trophy
Camel Trophy
The Camel Trophy was a vehicle oriented competition that was held between 1980 and 2000, and was best known for its use of Land Rover vehicles over challenging terrain.- The Events :...
, competing in Siberia, USSR, and crossed the Sahara desert by motorcycle alone. He finally joined MI6 during 1991. He completed his training with MI6 and claims he was the best recruit on his course, being awarded the rarely given "Box 1" attribute, by his instructing officers including Nicholas Langman
Nicholas Langman
Nicholas John Andrew Langman is an officer for the British secret service organisation MI6.During 2005, he was the head of MI6 at the British Embassy in Athens....
. He then served in the "SOV/OPS" department, working during the ending phases of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, before being posted to Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
as the MI6 representative in Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. His next posting was to work as an undercover agent against Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, where he succeeded in penetrating the Iranian Intelligence Service, presumably SAVAMA. MI6 dismissed him—he claimed without warning and for unexplained reasons—during 1995. Tomlinson disputed the reasons for and legality of his dismissal and attempted to take MI6 before an employment tribunal
Employment tribunal
Employment Tribunals are tribunal non-departmental public bodies in England and Wales and Scotland which have statutory jurisdiction to hear many kinds of disputes between employers and employees. The most common disputes are concerned with unfair dismissal, redundancy payments and employment...
. However, MI6 obtained a Public Interest Immunity
Public Interest Immunity
Public-interest immunity is a principle of English common law under which the English courts can grant a court order allowing one litigant to refrain from disclosing evidence to the other litigants where disclosure would be damaging to the public interest...
Certificate from Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind
Malcolm Rifkind
Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind KCMG QC MP is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Kensington. He served in various roles as a cabinet minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, including Secretary of State for Scotland , Defence Secretary and...
. Having no further legal recourse to appeal against his dismissal, Tomlinson left the United Kingdom and pursued his arguments against MI6 publicly, by publishing articles in the international press about his treatment, and began work on a book (which later became The Big Breach). Perhaps as a result of Tomlinson's campaign, during 1998 the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee
Intelligence and Security Committee
The Intelligence and Security Committee is a committee of parliamentarians appointed by the Prime Minister to oversee the work of the Intelligence machinery of the United Kingdom...
recommended that MI6 should be subject to UK employment law. Employees of MI6 (and GCHQ and MI5) now have the same employment rights as other British citizens, including written contracts and access to employment tribunals. However, MI6 refused to allow these procedures to be applied retrospectively to Tomlinson's case.
It is of note that MI6 have never succeeded in obtaining another PII certificate since the Tomlinson case, even though they have been subjected to more rigorous court scrutiny (for example the Inquest into the death of the Princess of Wales) than would have been involved with an employment tribunal.
The Big Breach
On returning to the United Kingdom during 1997, Tomlinson was arrested on suspicion of breaking the Official Secrets Act 1989Official Secrets Act 1989
The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. It is said to have removed the public interest defence created by that section....
. He was accused of giving a four-page synopsis of his proposed book to an Australian publisher—though MI6
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
have never claimed that he revealed any secret information. Tomlinson was remanded in custody at HMP Belmarsh as a Category A prisoner—- a category normally reserved for dangerous offenders. When it was announced that the trial would be held in a High Court, meaning that Tomlinson would be held on remand for as much as two years, longer than any likely sentence, he pleaded guilty to violating the Official Secrets Act 1989
Official Secrets Act 1989
The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. It is said to have removed the public interest defence created by that section....
. At the sentencing hearing, John Scarlett
John Scarlett
Sir John McLeod Scarlett, KCMG, OBE was Director General of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 2004 to 2009...
, the chief prosecution witness, claimed that Tomlinson "had gravely damaged national security" and "had put agents' lives at risk". Tomlinson was not allowed to call any defence witnesses. Tomlinson received a twelve month custodial sentence. He served six months in HMP Belmarsh before being released early for good behaviour on 1 May 1998. Since 1998, foreign police services, including those of Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and Monaco have all arrested and detained him at the request of MI6, but he has not been charged subsequently with an offence.
On completion of his three months probationary licence on 31 August 1998, Tomlinson left the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to live in exile. He set about completing The Big Breach, which was published during 2001 in Russia. After the Court of Appeal of England and Wales
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal of England and Wales is the second most senior court in the English legal system, with only the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom above it...
subsequently ruled in his favour it was made available in the UK. However, immediately after publication, the British Government obtained a High Court Order to confiscate proceeds from the book and any newspaper serialisation rights, on the grounds that the government owned the copyright to anything written by Tomlinson. Finally, during September 2008, MI6 ended all legal objection to the publication of The Big Breach, released the proceeds from the publication to Tomlinson, and admitted that their previous legal actions against him were disproportionate. However, they still refused to reinstate Tomlinson to MI6, or compensate Tomlinson for the loss of his career and pension. Tomlinson can now travel freely to the UK. The book can now be downloaded free in electronic form (see "External links").
List of MI6 agents
A list of 116 alleged MI6 agents was published on one of Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon LaRouche
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American political activist and founder of a network of political committees, parties, and publications known collectively as the LaRouche movement...
's websites. It has been alleged that Tomlinson was the source of the list, but he has always denied this.
Tomlinson published a list of nine names on his own website on Geocities
GeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities is a web hosting service, currently available only in Japan.GeoCities was originally founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet . In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their web pages...
. The site was subsequently terminated by the host due to a complaint by a third party. He carried a link to a copy of the LaRouche list on his website, with comments on the inaccuracy of individual entries, intending to show that he was not its author.
Diana of Wales
Tomlinson was apprehended by French Authorities during July 2006 after a European Arrest WarrantEuropean Arrest Warrant
The European Arrest Warrant is an arrest warrant valid throughout all member states of the European Union . Once issued by a member state, it requires the receiving member state to arrest and transfer a criminal suspect or sentenced person to the issuing state so that the person can be put on...
, requested by the United Kingdom, was issued. The warrant claimed Tomlinson was involved with the publication of two lists containing the names of MI6 officers during 2005. The police seized computers, personal papers and other items from his home in Cannes, and from his place of employment, resulting in the loss of this employment. He was subsequently cleared entirely of any involvements with the lists, though was never compensated for the damage to his career caused by the allegations. It was reported in some quarters that this arrest was linked to the inquiries into the death of Diana of Wales. During this period Tomlinson maintained several of webblogs publicising his treatment.
During 2008, Tomlinson was a witness for the inquest into the deaths of the Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
and Dodi al Fayed. He had suggested that Britain's Secret Intelligence Service was monitoring Diana before her death and that her driver on the night she died, Henri Paul
Henri Paul
Henri Paul was the Deputy Head of Security at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. He was the driver at the time of the car accident at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed him along with Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed on 31 August 1997. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the sole survivor of...
, may have been an MI6 informant, and that her death represented plans he saw during 1992 for the assassination of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
, using a bright light to cause a traffic accident.
At the Coroner's Inquest into the death of the Princess, on 13 February 2008, speaking by video-link from France, Tomlinson conceded that, after the interval of 16 or 17 years, he "could not remember specifically" whether the document he had seen during 1992 had in fact proposed the use of a strobe light to cause a traffic accident as a means of assassinating Milosevic, although use of lights for this purpose had been covered in his MI6 training. On being told that no MI6 file on Henri Paul had been found, Tomlinson said that it "would be absurd after 17 years to say I can positively disagree with it, but...I do not think the fact that they did not manage to find a file rules out anything either". He said he believed MI6 had an informant at the Paris Ritz but he could not be certain, and had never claimed, that that person was necessarily Henri Paul.
The Increment
Tomlinson has alleged that there is a secret paramilitaryParamilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
unit called "The Increment" which performs covert operations
Black operation
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
on behalf of HM Government, claiming that operators are selected from the "cream of the crop" of the SAS and SBS
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
, and work on Security Service and Secret Intelligence Service supervised missions. The same unit is known as Counter Revolutionary Warfare unit (CRW) in the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
. The author Chris Ryan used the term in the title of his 2004 novel The Increment.
Post MI6
During 1999, Tomlinson enlisted with the French Foreign LegionFrench Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, using a nom de guerre. He served with 3rd Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment is an Airborne regiment of the French Foreign Legion. It is a part of the 11e Brigade Parachutiste and the spearhead of the French Rapid reaction force.-Indochina:...
until discharged medically during 2003. Tomlinson retrained as a commercial pilot during 2005, and now works as a business jet pilot.
External links
- Tomlinson v MI6, mirror of Tomlinson's old (April-Aug 2006) weblog (access to original blocked by Typepad on August 4, 2006)
- MI6 v Tomlinson (it's back!) (originally called "Tomlinson v MI6 (it's back!)"), Tomlinson's weblog between August 2006 and March 2007 (now defunct).
- MI6 v Tomlinson (it's back!), mirror of Tomlinson's weblog between August 2006 and March 2007.
- MI6 v Tomlinson, Tomlinson's blog April–May 2007, defunct as of July 2007. Its mirror is still up.
- Tomlinson v MI6 (blogs are forever), reserve blog
- 2008 Diana Inquest transcript - morning session
- 2008 Diana Inquest transcript - afternoon session
- Exhibit from 2008 Diana Inquest
- Second exhibit
- The Big Breach download
Further reading
- The Increment (2004), Chris Ryan, Century Publishing (UK). ISBN 1-84413-383-4
- Spooks: Behind the Scenes (2006), Orion Books (London). ISBN 0-7528-7610-4