Iceland's Efforts To Become an International Transparency Haven and Free Speech Zone.

[Magda Hassan]

January 31, 2013 - 11:16pm by Leader Staff

According to the RUV, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service, FBI agents landed in Reykjavík in August 2011 without prior notification in an attempt to investigate WikiLeaks operations within the country. However, their plan was interupted when Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson learned about the FBI's visit and sent them packing. The Icelandic government then issued a formal protest to United States authorities.
On several different occasions, the U.S. government's hunt for WikiLeaks has involved private individuals and companies in Iceland. For example, the U.S. has been successful in obtaining account information from Twitter on parliamentarian Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who now refuses to travel outside of Iceland for fear of being arrested for her connections with WikiLeaks.
Iceland's government had already protested against the United States' activities in Reykjavík. It has already been learned that the U.S. embassy located there is monitoring people who enter the immediate area, and try to stop people from taking pictures of their building, despite the fact that it is perfectly legal to do so.
According to the report from RUV, a private plane landed at Reykjavík airport in August 2011 and onboard were FBI agents who had flown directly from the U.S. to Iceland with the mission to investigate WikiLeaks operations in the country as a part of a larger investigation into the organization. The FBI agents reportedly contacted the head of the national Icelandic police, as well as the head prosecutor in an attempt to gain access to all available information on WikiLeaks.
When Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson found out about the FBI's visit, he summoned the FBI agents, who were then told that the Icelandic government wouldn't permit a foreign power running their own investigations in the country. Jónasson then ordered the FBI agents to return to the U.S. After a special meeting of the cabinet, Foreign minister Össur Skarphéðinsson was then charged with formally protesting against the United States' behavior.
The story of the FBI's unannounced visit to iceland in August 2011 was revealed in an RUV report featured on January 30, 2013, by WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson, who explained:

"The FBI arrived in private planes and landed at the Reykjavík airport. According to my sources, which are highly reliable and which I have been able to corroborate, news of the visit reached Home Secretary Ögmundur Jónasson who reacted sharply, as it was unbelievably presumptuous to come to Iceland that way. According to my sources, Jónasson demanded that the FBI agents pack their bags, get back onboard, and leave the country. The matter was then brought before the cabinet and a formal protest was issued to US authorities."

Jónasson corroborates that FBI agents arrived in Iceland and remained in the country for a few days, but claims not to know how many there were. However, he said it was out of the question that a foreign power be permitted to conduct private investigations of Icelandic citizens and their activities in the country. He told the broadcast news service:

"I can corroborate this took place in August 2011. Agents from the FBI arrived in Iceland. They'll have to answer for what their plans were. I can also corroborate that they wanted to get the cooperation of the national police and the national prosecutor's office."

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