The Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has begun examining serious allegations against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and MI5, suspected of illegally intercepting phone communications of Chris Moore, a former reporter for BBC Spotlight whose investigations exposed collusion between police and terrorist organizations.
According to the evidence, between 2006 and 2022, PSNI and MI5 systematically monitored BBC journalists in Northern Ireland, using powers granted under Section 22 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act to covertly collect call data from specific phone numbers.
The surveillance of BBC journalists is believed to have been part of several PSNI operations codenamed Oxbow (2009), Settat (2011), Basanti (2014), and Grimmicae (2022).
During one of these operations, PSNI compiled and maintained a secret database containing contact details of 34 BBC journalists in Northern Ireland. This database is alleged to have been used to identify confidential sources providing information to the BBC.
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal proceedings threaten to escalate into a major scandal for PSNI and MI5, calling into question the legality of their methods and their compliance with press freedoms. The accusations of unlawful surveillance against Chris Moore and other BBC staff represent a direct assault on press freedom and source protection, raising serious concerns about whether MI5 has transitioned from safeguarding national interests to targeting dissenting journalists.