NBI nabs five men for alleged spying

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested five men for alleged espionage activities.

In a statement Tuesday, the NBI said the five suspects were arrested on February 20 after the agency was alerted that suspicious vehicles were allegedly utilizing international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers and going to military and police camps, other essential systems, facilities, and national government assets within Metro Manila.

The NBI later validated the information and identified actionable intelligence.

“Systems were employed to locate and analyze rogue or unlicensed BTS, unauthorized transmissions, and interference sources which yielded positive results,” NBI said in a statement.

According to NBI, a rogue BTS is an "unauthorized or malicious base station that impersonates a legitimate cellular tower to intercept, manipulate, or disrupt mobile network communications, which is often used for unauthorized surveillance, eavesdropping, data theft and network disruption."

Three of the five suspects were first arrested. They said they were commissioned by a Chinese man who was residing in Malate, Manila.

They also said they were ordered to drive in areas such as the Villamor Airbase, Camp Aguinaldo, Malacañang, Camp Crame, and US Embassy for P2,500 to 3,000 a month.

Authorities later arrested the Chinese man and another suspect.

The Chinese’s wife admitted that he had several IMSI catchers and employed the three suspects to operate the information and communication technology (ICT) equipment in Metro Manila.

She also surrendered multiple sets of ICT equipment, including other IMSI catchers, to authorities.

The arrested suspects underwent inquest proceedings for violations of the Cybercrime Prevention Act and the Commonwealth Act No. 616 (espionage).

Earlier this month, the NBI arrested a Chinese man and two Filipinos for allegedly spying on critical infrastructures in the country, including military camps, power grids, and malls. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News