Britain’s intelligence agencies were embroiled in a massive operation to uncover a suspected Russian double agent within the ranks of MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence service. Dubbed Operation Wedlock, the investigation was led by MI5, the domestic intelligence agency, and spanned up to 20 years, with a team of up to 35 officers deployed worldwide.
The operation began in the 1990s after the CIA tipped off British intelligence about a potential mole within MI6. The suspected agent was believed to have been relaying secrets to Russia, prompting a high-stakes investigation that involved surveillance teams tracking the individual’s movements across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
According to sources, the operation was so sensitive that the surveillance team was based in a fake security business in Wandsworth, south London, and operated under false names. The team even planted listening and video devices in the suspect’s home and tracked his movements abroad, including a trip to the Middle East where they were housed in a CIA safe house without the knowledge of the local government.
Despite the extensive surveillance, MI5 was unable to conclusively determine whether the individual was indeed a double agent. The investigation continued until at least 2015, when the targeted officer had left MI6. The operation’s vast scope and high risk raise questions about the potential consequences of a mole within Britain’s intelligence agencies.
Sources close to the operation described it as “highly unusual” and “the longest in recent memory,” with some comparing the situation to the infamous Kim Philby case, a British double agent who was part of the Cambridge spy ring. The UK’s intelligence agencies have not commented on the specifics of the operation.
