Leader of Madrid attack ‘offered secrets to FBI’

A SECRETIVE dissident group committed to overthrowing the North Korean regime has claimed responsibility for an attack on its embassy in Madrid.

The group broke its silence late on Tuesday after being outed by a Spanish judge, who reported that the mastermind behind the February plot was a Mexican citizen who flew to the US to offer sensitive information to the FBI.

Adrian Hong Chang is said to be a long-time activist who was spurred to action against the regime after reading the memoir of a North Korean prisoner. Fellow activists said he had briefly spent time in prison in China.

The 14-page summary issued by Spanish high court judge Jose de la Mata alleges that Chang, along with US citizen Sam Ryu and five South Koreans, were members of a gang of 10 who tied up and interrogated six diplomats before making off with confidential files.

The Cheollima Civil Defence denied that the incident was an “attack” or that weapons had been used.

According to the court summary, the bizarre tale began on the afternoon of Feb 22, when Mr Hong Chang entered the embassy using a false identity, before letting in his nine accomplices who were armed with knives, machetes, metal bars and fake pellet guns.

The group then tied up diplomats and spent five hours plundering confidential information, including a set of flash drives, two computers, two hard drives and a mobile phone.

Mr De la Mata has issued international arrest warrants for Mr Hong Chang and Mr Ryu.