-Caveat Lector- >From the Melbourne Age http://www.theage.com.au/news/20000929/A22200-2000Sep28.html Alleged spy fit to stand trial in US By GAY ALCORN UNITED STATES CORRESPONDENT ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA Friday 29 September 2000 The lawyer for alleged Australian spy Jean-Philippe Wispelaere believes the case has provoked a rift between Australia and the United States, with the Americans determined to exclude their ally from proceedings. Mr Wispelaere, 29, was found mentally competent by a federal court on Wednesday to stand trial on espionage and attempted espionage charges, almost a year after he was sent to a US government facility for psychiatric evaluation. It is alleged that Mr Wispelaere left his job as a junior analyst at the Defence Intelligence Organisation in Canberra last year with top-secret American documents and tried to sell them to a foreign country. The FBI found out about the alleged offer and, in a "sting" operation, lured him to Dulles Airport in Washington in May, where he was arrested. That documents shared with Australia under defence agreements could be so easily stolen embarrassed the Australian Government, which launched investigations into security. "This was a very embarrassing circumstance for the Australian Government," Mr Wispelaere's lawyer, Nina Ginsberg said outside the court in Alexandria. "The United States was extremely angry and probably also embarrassed that this happened. My sense is that the US Government has said to Australia - and this is a totally personal belief - `you screwed up, you sit down and be quiet and we're going to take care of it from now on'." The Australian Government yesterday denied that the Wispelaere case has caused a rift with the US. "That is not an accurate assessment," a spokesman for the Defence Minister John Moore said. However the spokesman refused to comment further on details of the case and the claims made by Ms Ginsberg. Ms Ginsberg said she had had difficulty gaining access to crucial documents for the defence and she planned to travel to Australia within the next few weeks to seek them. In earlier court proceedings, the defence had suggested that the material Mr Wispelaere removed might not be as top-secret as the American Government alleges. Mr Wispelaere has pleaded not guilty to the charges which, if proven, could attract a life sentence. Federal Court Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected evidence from a state-appointed psychiatrist and psychologist that Mr Wispelaere's apparent mental collapse late last year was malingering to avoid facing trial. But she accepted evidence from Angela Walden Weaver, a staff forensic psychologist at a federal corrections facility in Butner, North Carolina, that Mr Wispelaere, while exaggerating his symptoms, did suffer a mental illness which was now controlled by medication. The court heard of Mr Wispelaere's bizarre behavior since entering Butner in October, which included swallowing a razor and slashing his wrist. He also reported hallucinations and paranoia, believing the Australian Government had inserted a coil into his head to monitor his movements via satellite, that his lawyers were part of a plot against him, and that he had been anointed a demigod. Ms Ginsberg said the state's offer of a plea bargain that would see Mr Wispelaere serve 20 years in jail was unacceptable, and it was the defence's intention to go to trial. Also at the court was Melbourne barrister Ivan Himmelhoch, who is now acting for Mr Wispelaere. No trial date has yet been set. - with LOUISE DODSON <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
