Vaccines as Human Intelligence: CIA used vaccine program to "Spy on Bin Laden"

[IROM]

Groups slams 'fake' CIA immunization ploy - UPI.com

Doctors Without Borders condemned a fake CIA vaccination program used to cover spying on Osama bin Laden, saying it threatened life-saving immunization work.

www.upi.com

Circa 2011:

the CIA recruited a Pakistani doctor and health workers to try to ascertain whether the al-Qaida leader was living in the compound, The Guardian said.

Dr. Shakil Afridi allegedly set up a vaccination drive for hepatitis-B in the town to try to gain entry to the bin Laden compound and obtain DNA samples from those living there.

A senior U.S. government official defended the practice, saying it had been intended as "an actual vaccination campaign conducted by real medical professionals."

However, while the vaccine doses themselves were genuine the medical professionals involved were not following procedures, and in one area did not return a month after the first dose to provide the second required immunization, the Guardian reported.

 

[JohnHafterson]

Interesting seems like a good/shady way to disguise intelligence gathering via NGOs and similar orgs.

My college girlfriend applied/interviewed to/with the CIA. They surveilled her house a few times during the interview/application process - University of Illinois. This was in 1998 for reference prior to cell phone/wifi mass rollout.

A friend of hers at the time was applying to another 3 letter agency - he missed the interview - agents/employees tracked down his roommate on the street to ask/question if they knew why he'd skipped/missed his interview.

Lol - remember her telling me about her friend's roommate and thinking it was hilarious at the time.