Shadowy group plotting Kim Jong-un’s overthrow raided a North Korean embassy in broad daylight
- Masked assailants infiltrated compound in Madrid, Spain, tied staff up with rope, stole computers and phones, and fled in two luxury vehicles
- Experts say devices seized are a treasure trove of information that foreign intelligence agencies are likely to seek out
Days before US President Donald Trump was set to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vietnam, a mysterious incident in Spain threatened to derail the entire high-stakes nuclear summit.
In broad daylight, masked assailants infiltrated North Korea’s embassy in Madrid, restrained the staff with rope, stole computers and mobile phones, and fled in two luxury vehicles.
The group behind the late February operation is known as Cheollima Civil Defence, a secretive dissident organisation committed to overthrowing the Kim dynasty, people familiar with the planning and execution of the mission told The Washington Post.
The group’s alleged role in the attack has not previously been reported, and officials from the governments of North Korea, the United States and Spain declined to comment on it.
But in recent days, rumours have swirled about the motivations behind the attack in the Spanish media, including a report in El País alleging that two of the masked assailants have ties to the CIA.
