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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Asian MI5 and MI6 staffers speak | Asian MI5 and MI6 staffers speak |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| British Asian intelligence and security officers have spoken to the BBC about their work in a bid to broaden recruitment among ethnic minorities. | |
| Two MI5 agents were permitted to talk for the first time in the hope of attracting more ethnic minorities into the security service. | Two MI5 agents were permitted to talk for the first time in the hope of attracting more ethnic minorities into the security service. |
| They told Asian Network their job was to protect the UK, not target Muslims. | They told Asian Network their job was to protect the UK, not target Muslims. |
| Meanwhile, a Muslim officer of the security service MI6 has told Radio 1 about her work recruiting spies. | Meanwhile, a Muslim officer of the security service MI6 has told Radio 1 about her work recruiting spies. |
| MI5 - Britain's domestic security service - says it hopes the insight into life as a British Asian agent will help increase its percentage of black and minority ethnic staff, which currently stands at 6.5%. | MI5 - Britain's domestic security service - says it hopes the insight into life as a British Asian agent will help increase its percentage of black and minority ethnic staff, which currently stands at 6.5%. |
| It also wants to improve relations with Muslim communities. | It also wants to improve relations with Muslim communities. |
| It has a target of increasing its current 3,000 staff to 4,000 by 2011 to help track the 2,000 individuals currently believed to pose a threat to national security. | It has a target of increasing its current 3,000 staff to 4,000 by 2011 to help track the 2,000 individuals currently believed to pose a threat to national security. |
| Family reaction | Family reaction |
| When out with friends or relations I tend to be quite vague about my work - I don't want the unnecessary attention MI5 agent | When out with friends or relations I tend to be quite vague about my work - I don't want the unnecessary attention MI5 agent |
| A male agent, who called himself Shazad, and a female agent, named Jayshree, talked about life inside MI5. | A male agent, who called himself Shazad, and a female agent, named Jayshree, talked about life inside MI5. |
| In the exclusive interviews - the first recorded at MI5's London headquarters in the organisation's 98-year history - the officers discussed the challenges of leading double lives. | In the exclusive interviews - the first recorded at MI5's London headquarters in the organisation's 98-year history - the officers discussed the challenges of leading double lives. |
| "When out with friends or relations I tend to be quite vague about my work - I don't want the unnecessary attention," said Jayshree, who analyses intelligence from a variety of sources, including overseas. | "When out with friends or relations I tend to be quite vague about my work - I don't want the unnecessary attention," said Jayshree, who analyses intelligence from a variety of sources, including overseas. |
| She added that her parents knew about her role, but were "not as excited or interested" as she thought they would be. | She added that her parents knew about her role, but were "not as excited or interested" as she thought they would be. |
| "To the point that once my father said 'What's there to get excited about? You work for MFI', and I had to remind him that I don't work for a furniture store, I work for the security services." | "To the point that once my father said 'What's there to get excited about? You work for MFI', and I had to remind him that I don't work for a furniture store, I work for the security services." |
| They said they did not feel any conflict as British Asians in their security roles because their work at MI5 was not about targeting communities, but instead about tracking individuals. | They said they did not feel any conflict as British Asians in their security roles because their work at MI5 was not about targeting communities, but instead about tracking individuals. |
| MI5 chief Jonathan Evans says 2,000 UK individuals pose a threat | MI5 chief Jonathan Evans says 2,000 UK individuals pose a threat |
| Shazad said: "If you look at the bigger picture, I think you realise this isn't about spying on your own community, or letting your own community down, or any of those things. | Shazad said: "If you look at the bigger picture, I think you realise this isn't about spying on your own community, or letting your own community down, or any of those things. |
| "It is about protecting people like yourself - others out there from threats, and there can be a number of different kinds of threats." | "It is about protecting people like yourself - others out there from threats, and there can be a number of different kinds of threats." |
| 'Totally compatible' | 'Totally compatible' |
| Yasmin, who is a member of overseas intelligence agency MI6, told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat she did not think she was recruited because of her Muslim faith. | Yasmin, who is a member of overseas intelligence agency MI6, told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat she did not think she was recruited because of her Muslim faith. |
| And she said she would challenge "very strongly" any suggestion that her religion complicated her work. | And she said she would challenge "very strongly" any suggestion that her religion complicated her work. |
| "The way I feel is that my duty to God is totally compatible with my duty to my country," Yasmin said. | "The way I feel is that my duty to God is totally compatible with my duty to my country," Yasmin said. |
| "I would say extremism in any form is wrong, be that Islamic extremism or any other kind of extremism. | "I would say extremism in any form is wrong, be that Islamic extremism or any other kind of extremism. |
| "I feel very, very strongly that if you are able to do something to make a difference, you should make that difference." | "I feel very, very strongly that if you are able to do something to make a difference, you should make that difference." |
| Once I joined I felt that the work we were doing was invaluable - and this is a country that has welcomed my family MI5 agent | Once I joined I felt that the work we were doing was invaluable - and this is a country that has welcomed my family MI5 agent |
| The MI5 agents recalled how they felt after hearing about the 7 July terror attacks in 2005. | The MI5 agents recalled how they felt after hearing about the 7 July terror attacks in 2005. |
| Jayshree said she felt "absolute shock" but had been trained to deal with such an event. | Jayshree said she felt "absolute shock" but had been trained to deal with such an event. |
| "The reality was that this was probably one of the biggest jobs that any of my colleagues and I ever had to undertake. | "The reality was that this was probably one of the biggest jobs that any of my colleagues and I ever had to undertake. |
| "We'd received the training and we just got ahead and tried to do as much work as we could." | "We'd received the training and we just got ahead and tried to do as much work as we could." |
| Unlike the public, she was in a position where she could "make a difference" and "find out what had happened and piece things together". | Unlike the public, she was in a position where she could "make a difference" and "find out what had happened and piece things together". |
| 'Protecting my country' | 'Protecting my country' |
| Asked what motivated her to first become an MI5 agent, Jayshree said she felt she was repaying a debt to her country. | Asked what motivated her to first become an MI5 agent, Jayshree said she felt she was repaying a debt to her country. |
| "Once I joined I felt that the work we were doing was invaluable - and this is a country that has welcomed my family. | "Once I joined I felt that the work we were doing was invaluable - and this is a country that has welcomed my family. |
| "I've been born, raised here - this is my country. I just want to work as hard as I can to ensure that it's safe for my, I'd like to say community, but by that I mean my whole country." | "I've been born, raised here - this is my country. I just want to work as hard as I can to ensure that it's safe for my, I'd like to say community, but by that I mean my whole country." |
| She added that she couldn't think of "any better way of paying back or working to protect everyone who lives here". | She added that she couldn't think of "any better way of paying back or working to protect everyone who lives here". |
| Shazad agreed that he joined MI5 to help the country his family had chosen to make home. | Shazad agreed that he joined MI5 to help the country his family had chosen to make home. |
| "It was one of the driving points behind why I joined. It was an opportunity to work for an organisation whose input really did matter and an opportunity to work somewhere where you could make a real difference." | "It was one of the driving points behind why I joined. It was an opportunity to work for an organisation whose input really did matter and an opportunity to work somewhere where you could make a real difference." |
| But when asked if life inside MI5 was anything like BBC drama Spooks, Jayshree said: "I think, particularly being a female in the service, I'd always be worried that a baddie would want to chuck my head in a deep fat fryer - so I'm particularly grateful that our work doesn't represent Spooks." | But when asked if life inside MI5 was anything like BBC drama Spooks, Jayshree said: "I think, particularly being a female in the service, I'd always be worried that a baddie would want to chuck my head in a deep fat fryer - so I'm particularly grateful that our work doesn't represent Spooks." |
| The MI5 interviews will be broadcast on BBC Asian Network from 0600 GMT on Monday, 26 November. | The MI5 interviews will be broadcast on BBC Asian Network from 0600 GMT on Monday, 26 November. |
| The MI6 interview is part of a week-long series of special Newsbeat reports on the British security services. They will be broadcast at 1745 GMT from Monday 26 November. | The MI6 interview is part of a week-long series of special Newsbeat reports on the British security services. They will be broadcast at 1745 GMT from Monday 26 November. |