Irish politician accused of being Russian spy should be named to avoid suspicion, says Eamon Ryan

There is now growing speculation about the identity of a politician who the Sunday Times alleged had been 'recruited by Russian intelligence as an agent of influence'. They called the agent 'Cobalt'.

Eamon Ryan has called for the identity of an Irish politician who has been accused of being a Russian spy to be revealed. The former Green Party leader suggested this would remove any possibility of suspicion being cast upon the whole of the Oireachtas, but added that it should be carried out legally.

It comes as Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín revealed that he was offered a trip to Russia and informed he would be given an opportunity to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin when he was a member of Sinn Féin.

There is now growing speculation about the identity of a politician who the Sunday Times alleged had been “recruited by Russian intelligence as an agent of influence”. They called the agent “Cobalt”. It is suggested that the Irish politician “offered to help establish connections with paramilitaries in Northern Ireland at a sensitive time during the Brexit talks”.

The newspaper also suggested that Russians used a “honeypot”, an agent who seeks to entangle a target­ romantically, to meet Cobalt in Dublin.

READ MORE: Taoiseach insists Russian activity in Ireland 'should come as no surprise to anyone'

READ MORE: Taoiseach: Revelations Irish politician allegedly recruited by Russian spy should come as no surprise to anyone

Speaking in Dublin on Monday morning, former Green Party leader Mr Ryan said the alleged spy should be revealed. “If that was the case, obviously, it is a real concern and a real security concern if you have a member of the Oireachtas acting in such a way,” he said.

“It’s very hard to know how that person could be identified. That is something that would benefit the rest of us, so that the suspicion doesn’t go on the entire Oireachtas.

“But legally, obviously, that has to be done so we have to wait and see how the allegations that have been made can be verified. They are very serious, but until that point, I think we have to be careful. We don’t know who that person is, obviously.”

Mr Ryan also said there was “no recollection” of anyone in his party being contacted. Speaking in Louth, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said elected representatives need to “remain vigilant”.

“We're not immune to these kinds of threats, no matter how small a country we are or feel that we're on the periphery. We're no,” she said. We need to make sure that we're all vigilant.”

Peadar Tóibín today called for all political parties and independents to audit its TDs and Senators to ensure there is no “undue influence from Russia”. He confirmed he was “approached by a consultancy firm offering [him] a trip to Russia, stays in 5-star hotels and a meeting with Vladimir Putin”.

“This struck me as very strange and a little incredible,” he said. “Given the anti-democratic nature of the Putin regime, I indicated that I was not interested in it.”

Independent TD Dr Cathal Berry, a former Army Ranger, told the Irish Mirror that he cannot envisage the alleged Russian spy revealing themselves.

“Does Cobalt even know it's them? I’m not sure there's any self-awareness or insight there amongst the individual,” he suggested.

“The Russian Ambassador [Yuri Filatov], would have interacted freely with members of the Oireachtas three, four, five years ago, as diplomats do. It's very hard to distinguish between what is normal diplomacy and what is the hybrid operation, where there would be stretched boundaries.

“Hybrid operations, they're above the threshold of normal diplomacy and below the threshold of traditional warfighting. It's very hard to discern whether you're just engaged in normal diplomacy or whether there's some kind of influence. It is very hard to know whether it strays into the hybrid space.”

Asked if it meant there could be more than one Irish politician Russia could be taken advantage of, he said, “There could be”.

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