The director of Australia’s main security agency revealed on Wednesday the existence of a foreign espionage network that had been operating in Australia for several years and recruited, among others, a former political leader, university professors and businessmen, AFP and Reuters reported, citing Agerpres.

“This politician sold out his country, his party and his former colleagues to serve the interests of a foreign regime,” Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Agency (ASIO), said in a speech in Canberra on Wednesday.

Burgess did not reveal the identity of this former political official or the name of the country for which these spies were acting. The politician was recruited “several years ago” and even offered to integrate a member of the prime minister’s family into the “spy orbit”, a project he failed to implement, Burgess said.

These extremely rare public disclosures of counter-intelligence operations immediately sparked an outcry in Australia, where several voices called for the politician’s identity to be released.

Australia’s political class, shaken by the revelation of the existence of a spy in its bosom

“The problem is if he doesn’t name it, it casts a shadow over all the other” politicians, Conservative opposition leader Peter Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB, asking Burgess to provide “more clues” about his identity.

Former Conservative finance minister Joe Hockey said the incident tarnished the image of all Australian parliamentarians. “This ex-politician is a traitor,” he declared on the national ABC channel, calling it “unthinkable” that he “shouldn’t be worried”.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, for his part, said he did not know the identity of the politician suspected of treason.

How the A-Team, Australia’s foreign intelligence team, worked

According to the director general of ASIO, this team of spies worked in a unit called the A-Team, for Team Australia. He explained that he made these revelations to disrupt these operations, to inform his boss that they had been exposed, and for Australians to be on their guard against this “aggressive and experienced team”.

It targets Australians who have access to “privileged information” on social media, using English-language “fake identities” and promising cash rewards.

The spies posed as consultants, local officials, university professors and think tank researchers.

“If a target takes the bait, spies try to move the conversation to an encrypted messaging app. Another step could be to offer to travel abroad for a one-on-one meeting,” said a senior Australian official.

Australia is a member of Group 5, the Five Eyes, an intelligence alliance that also includes the US, Canada, the UK and New Zealand, making it an interesting target for agents from countries such as China and Russia.