The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: The Curious Case of C2

The C2 case is one of the most intriguing and controversial espionage stories of recent years. It involves a refugee from Afghanistan who allegedly worked as a spy for Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, while having access to top secret documents and meeting high-profile British officials.

Who is C2?

C2 is the code name given to the refugee, whose real identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons. He was born in Afghanistan in 1974 and fled to Pakistan with his family during the Soviet invasion. He later moved to Russia, where he lived and studied for six years, before seeking asylum in the UK in 2000.

He claimed that he had been persecuted by the Taliban for being a Shia Muslim and that he had been tortured by the Russian security services for refusing to spy for them. He also said that he had witnessed a massacre of civilians by Russian troops in Chechnya.

His asylum claim was accepted and he was granted British citizenship in 2006. He then worked for various British government departments, including the Foreign Office, the GCHQ, the MI6, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office. He had access to classified and sensitive information on topics such as counter-terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyber security and diplomatic relations.

He also met two Prime Ministers, David Cameron and Gordon Brown, as well as Prince Charles and Prince William during a visit to Afghanistan, where he was employed by the British government as a cultural adviser and interpreter.

How was he exposed as a spy?

In 2019, C2 was stripped of his British citizenship after MI5 accused him of being a spy for the GRU, the same agency that was behind the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in 2018.

According to MI5, C2 had been recruited by the GRU when he was five years old and had been trained as a sleeper agent. He had been instructed to infiltrate the British government and to collect and transmit information to his handlers. He had also been involved in sabotage and subversion activities against the UK and its allies.

MI5 claimed that they had evidence of C2’s contacts with the GRU, including phone calls, emails, encrypted messages and meetings. They also said that they had found a hidden camera and a memory card containing secret documents in his home.

C2 denied being a spy and a threat to national security. He appealed the decision to revoke his citizenship before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), a court that deals with cases involving national security and human rights.

He argued that he had been framed by his enemies, who were jealous of his success and wanted to discredit him. He also said that he had been loyal to the UK and had helped to save lives and prevent terrorist attacks. He claimed that he had no links to the GRU and that he had never betrayed his country.

What happened to him after the fall of Kabul?

In 2021, C2 was evacuated from Afghanistan by the UK after the Taliban took over the country, despite the fact that he had lost his British citizenship two years earlier. He was among the thousands of people who were airlifted from Kabul airport in a chaotic and dangerous operation.

The government defended its decision to bring C2 back to the UK, saying that leaving him in Afghanistan would have posed a risk to his life and to the lives of others. It also refused to confirm whether he had ever been employed by any of the security services.

The government also said that C2’s legal status had not changed and that he was still subject to the SIAC proceedings. It said that it would continue to pursue the case and to prove that C2 was a spy for the GRU.

Why is the C2 case important?

The C2 case is part of a series of incidents involving alleged GRU agents, who are accused of conducting hostile activities around the world, such as assassinations, poisonings, cyberattacks and election interference.

The case raises questions about how the GRU operates, how it recruits and trains its agents, how it infiltrates and targets its enemies, and how it evades detection and accountability.

The case is still ongoing and the outcome is uncertain. C2 could be cleared of the allegations and regain his citizenship, or he could be found guilty and face deportation or extradition to Russia. The case could also have implications for the relations between the UK and Russia, which are already tense and strained.

The C2 case is a fascinating and complex story that reveals the dark and dangerous world of espionage in the 21st century.