Secret military documents found on the street

 

Stacks of papers containing classified military information were found on one of the city streets.

They include the ranks of soldiers, email addresses, shift schedules, and information about the issue of weapons, as well as information that appears to be related to access to the weapons storage and intrusion detection system.The documents were discovered by a football fan on March 16 in the Scotswood area of Newcastle from a black trash bag and, according to information security consultant Gary Hibberd, posed a "significant" threat to the individuals named in them.

The Ministry of Defense said it was "urgently" investigating the matter and conducting an internal investigation.

Downing Street said it could not comment on "any details" while an army investigation was underway.

"But you can count on appropriate measures to be taken in response to any potential information leak," the representative said.

Apparently, the documents are related to the regiments and barracks of the British Army in the Catterick garrison.One of the documents was called "Keys to the arsenal and intrusion detection codes," and, as the BBC understands, it concerns access to the arsenal — a place where weapons and ammunition are stored — and an intrusion detection system. 

Other information was provided with a footnote with the words "official – confidential," which, according to government guidelines, in some cases may mean that the information could lead to a "threat to life" if disclosed.

The information contained in the dropped documents ranged from general medical recommendations to ingredient order sheets, as well as people's ID numbers and email addresses.

A police spokesman confirmed that police "have received a report that potentially confidential documents have been found on Railway Street in the Scotswood area of Newcastle.""The documents have now been submitted to the Ministry of Defense."

A Defense Ministry spokesman said: "We are urgently reviewing this matter, and it is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation."