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Vulture in Saudi Custody Suspected as Mossad Agent

by Gil Ronen – Arutz Sheva

Saudi Arabian security forces have captured a vulture that was carrying a global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitter and a ring etched with the words “Tel Aviv University.” They suspect the bird of spying for Israel, Maariv-NRG reported Tuesday. The GPS and ring were connected to the bird as part of an long-term project by Israeli scientists that follows vultures’ location and altitude for research purposes.

The arrest of the vulture – whose identification code is R65 – comes several weeks after an Egyptian official voiced the suspicion that a shark that attacked tourists off the Sinai shore was also acting on behalf of Mossad. The incidents may reflect a growing irrational hysteria among Arabs surrounding Israel’s military prowess and the efficacy of its intelligence services, possibly fueled by the Stuxnet virus’ success..

Maariv said that the R65 was caught near the home of a sheikh in the community of Hayel in Saudi Arabia. The words “Tel Aviv University” etched in English on a ring clasped to its leg, and especially the transmitter, caused the finders to suspect espionage and alert the security forces.

Ohad Hatzofe, bird ecologist for the Nature and Parks Authority, said that the vulture story has been making the rounds in Arabic internet sites, including Al-Jazeera forums and Arabic military forums. “The subject is receiving great publicity and it is important that Saudi authorities understand that it is not true. There is also an international treaty of nature protection professionals, that forbids doing things like this,” he added.

The researchers said that seven vultures that were marked in Israel in the last few years reached Saudi Arabia. Transmissions from four of them have ceased and they are presumed dead. One vulture – beside R65 – is still alive and flying around Saudi Arabia, after spending the winter in Sudan.

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12 Comments

  • NUTS

    NOW THEY THINK BIRDS R SPYIGNG.WHAT’S THE WORLD COMING TO..
    WELL THATS ACTUALLY A SMART IDEA

  • observer

    Israelis are the only spying agency to do it.
    THey did it with the Dubai Assasination
    They did it with the espionage material found on the mountain in Lebanon
    and they did it now as well.

    Israelis have that ugly mentatlity where they laugh at the entire world. a character trait that lands them in hot water time and time again.

  • FUNNY!

    HA HA! what next? the arabs are gonna start a war because of it? israel is smart their dumb thats the fact. jews will always come out on top. (too bad they caught the bird!!!)

  • Fail!

    Here’s a tip.
    If you’re spying on someone with a bird, DON’T LEAVE YOUR LOCATION WRITTEN IN PLAIN SIGHT!
    It’s a rookie mistake.
    Which makes me think that mossad has nothing to do with this and it’s just some other random country trying to implicate Israel to save it’s own skin.
    Because come on.
    Really?
    TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY?
    Gosh.

  • Yo ho ho

    Next they’ll claim that Big Bird from Sesame Street is an Israeli spy. Which is funny, because I always thought Ernie was the dodgy one.

  • Ignorance is Not Bliss

    To No. 9
    No, you fail.

    Bird tracking is a common practice of those who study birds. Similar initiatives are in place in Ivy League Schools in the US such as Princeton University, etc.

    Please, if this was an Israeli spy, do you think they would have marked it Tel Aviv University? They could have marked it Alkuds Allah Akbar or whatever.

    It may come to as a surprise to you, but high level research is being conducted in Israel in all spheres of study, including biology. Many of these have led to scientific and technological breakthroughs with global impact.