Latest in the British Spy Arsenal: The Rock

Ok, so the spying isn't funny, but reading the details just kept me laughing.

A report made jointly with Russia's FSB intelligence service and broadcast on the Rossia channel Sunday evening said four British agents used a transmitter hidden in an imitation rock on a Moscow street to gather data from a local operative.

'We caught them red-handed,' FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko said Monday, adding that the fate of the diplomats named in the report would now be decided at a senior level.

At his monthly news conference in London Monday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to comment on the affair.

and

Hidden camera footage appears to show individuals walking up to the rock, affecting casualty but showing signs of agitation.

One man identified as a secretary-archivist at the embassy is shown returning to the rock and kicking it gently after it apparently failed to download successfully.

Another man is caught on camera carrying the rock away, implying that more than one such device was in use, since the Russian report showed one rock that FSB agents eventually removed and opened.

One British intelligence expert in London said the case offered a 'fascinating insight into the modern world of espionage.' The electronic devices used were a 'perfect spying machine.'

Ok, I can just see "Q" out there kicking the rock to try and get it running. Especially if it's the John Cleese version of "Q" as "R".

In The World Is Not Enough an assistant to Major Boothroyd (Q) was introduced, teasingly called "R" by Bond and played by John Cleese. His real name has yet to be revealed, but he is initially credited as R in The World is Not Enough stemming from a joke in which Bond asks the elder Q: "If you're Q does that make him R?" (Cleese's character responds, "Ah yes, the legendary 007 wit. Or at least, half of it")

But back to the topic.

However, some excerpts drew skepticism about the authenticity of the footage, like close-up shots of the supposed diplomat tapping instructions into his palm-top computer.

Alex Standish, editor of Jane's Intelligence Review in London, said the allegations should be treated with caution.

'In this business nothing is unlikely. It could be a KGB staged story to put pressure on the British, or it could be completely true', he said.

You know, I really am of the opinion that this could be real. It just strikes me as odd enough to match reality.