Madeleine McCann - The request for satellite imagery

[Redblossom]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

[gilet]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I wonder would that have been because the UK government understood that it was a pipedream with no substance to it? Unlike Amaral there are people in the British Government who actually understand the nature of satellite imagery and knew full well that the idea that there were images of PDL at the ridiculous resolution that C.Edwards has claimed was simply not true. Why waste time persuading the US government to hand over something they understood did not exist. No problem for Amaral, by then he was an unemployed man with plenty of time to dream his dreams.

[Redblossom]

Ask the Home Secretary at the time, it was he who spoke the words,  not C Edwarda or any other internet poster or Dr Amaral

[Luz]

To be of any use the satellite camera would have to have been zoomed in on PDL.  Even if one of the military satellites just happened to be over southern Portugal at the time that Madeleine was abducted there was no reason for it to to recording images in that particular area.  Amaral's suggestion therefore that a satellite would be of any use to the investigation is just pie in the sky.

No, the satellites don't need to be "zoomed in".  We're not in 1980 anymore.

Afraid you've been watching too much science fiction on the box.  The cameras have to be trained on a selected area to get anything of consequence.  The suggestion that they can read car number plates is preposterous.

And you obviously don't see anything behind those dark glasses on a borrowed head. The south coast of Portugal is constantly under surveillance, not only because of drug trafficking but also arms and the stupid feared terrorists that the paranoid US keep alive.

[Luz]

Did he actually request images? If so, who from?

Definitely not while a copper. Nothing in the files.
Probably didn't know Wikileak address.

Surprised he hasn't been on the phone to Julian now he knows where he is though. He could have nipped over and had a game of cards, awfully boring staying in all the time. That way the ace wouldn't have gone to waste.

Don't be naive. The files released are just the information that could be made public, there are confidential documents that cannot be in the public domain.

How do you know he hasn't spoken to Julian? After what the UK did to him it doesn't surprise me Assange is not very friendly with UK's press.

[Luz]

Time for dinner, satellites follow me-----

by the beach


See you later.

[Carana]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I've never understood this idea.

Even if such images had been available, why couldn't the PJ have just asked the US themselves?

Portugal and the US do have diplomatic relations as far as I'm aware.

[Redblossom]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I've never understood this idea.

Even if such images had been available, why couldn't the PJ have just asked the US themselves?

Portugal and the US do have diplomatic relations as far as I'm aware.

My point was about the UK govt paying lipservice but not doing anything about it, thats IF the rag tabloids are to be believed

I don't know what Portugal did or said about this

 

[Carana]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I've never understood this idea.

Even if such images had been available, why couldn't the PJ have just asked the US themselves?

Portugal and the US do have diplomatic relations as far as I'm aware.

My point was about the UK govt paying lipservice but not doing anything about it, thats IF the rag tabloids are to be believed

I don't know what Portugal did or said about this

But PT is quite capable of requesting assistance by itself. What makes anyone think that the UK would have had any authority to request satellite images from the US on behalf of Portugal?

Where did this idea come from?

[C.Edwards]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I wonder would that have been because the UK government understood that it was a pipedream with no substance to it? Unlike Amaral there are people in the British Government who actually understand the nature of satellite imagery and knew full well that the idea that there were images of PDL at the ridiculous resolution that C.Edwards has claimed was simply not true. Why waste time persuading the US government to hand over something they understood did not exist. No problem for Amaral, by then he was an unemployed man with plenty of time to dream his dreams.

It is pointless continually trying to goad me. You are quite simply wrong.  Resolutions of less than 15cm have been available to the military for more than 10 years. They now have resolutions an awful lot less than that.  Even commercial resolutions are now 50cm.  I only respond now in order to stop your propaganda going unchallenged. Good evening to you <raises top hat> .

[Redblossom]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I've never understood this idea.

Even if such images had been available, why couldn't the PJ have just asked the US themselves?

Portugal and the US do have diplomatic relations as far as I'm aware.

My point was about the UK govt paying lipservice but not doing anything about it, thats IF the rag tabloids are to be believed

I don't know what Portugal did or said about this

But PT is quite capable of requesting assistance by itself. What makes anyone think that the UK would have had any authority to request satellite images from the US on behalf of Portugal?

Where did this idea come from?

The PT authorities may have asked the UK force for help here if they had more clout with the USA for instance, who knows, fact remains the Uk did nothing about it after suggesting they would, unless they did and it wasnt reported

[Carana]

Yes a great shame the British government didn't ask the yanks for help as thry intimated they could or would do.

I've never understood this idea.

Even if such images had been available, why couldn't the PJ have just asked the US themselves?

Portugal and the US do have diplomatic relations as far as I'm aware.

My point was about the UK govt paying lipservice but not doing anything about it, thats IF the rag tabloids are to be believed

I don't know what Portugal did or said about this

But PT is quite capable of requesting assistance by itself. What makes anyone think that the UK would have had any authority to request satellite images from the US on behalf of Portugal?

Where did this idea come from?

The PT authorities may have asked the UK force for help here if they had more clout with the USA for instance, who knows, fact remains the Uk did nothing about it after suggesting they would, unless they did and it wasnt reported

Where does the idea originate that the UK suggested they would ask the US?

[Redblossom]

carana I postex the link before

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/134657/SATELLITE-CLUE-TO-MADDIE-KIDNAP

[Carana]

carana I postex the link before

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/134657/SATELLITE-CLUE-TO-MADDIE-KIDNAP

Thanks.

Hmmm.


SATELLITE CLUE TO MADDIE KIDNAP
HOME Secretary Alan Johnson is prepared to ask US spy chiefs for satellite images which may show the face of Madeleine McCann’s kidnapper, following intervention by the Sunday Express.
By: James Murray
Published: Sun, October 18, 2009
0Comments

MISSING-Madeleine-McCann MISSING: Madeleine McCann

Hope of new progress came after it emerged Leicestershire Police never made a formal request to the Home Office for views of Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve at the time the little girl vanished in May 2007.

The quality of pictures taken by satellites in space is now so good they can reputedly identify the colour of someone’s eyes.

Last night a senior source with the Portuguese police said: “We know US spy satellites regularly sweep over Portugal looking at military installations and government facilities.

“So we thought they might actually have images of Praia da Luz on the day of the kidnapping and the preceding days.

“We hoped spy images may have captured the kidnapper watching the apartment prior to the event or even on the day itself. Obviously, having a picture would have speeded up the apprehension of the offender.”

Google-Earth-view-from-where-Madeleine-was-snatched- Google Earth view from where Madeleine was snatched

Yet more than two years after Madeleine was snatched no help has been forthcoming, despite early requests from senior Portuguese detectives.

The Portuguese source explained: “This was fully discussed with Leicestershire Police and officials with the British Government.

“We were confident of getting progress because of Gordon Brown’s interest in the case and this apparent special relationship between Britain and the United States.

“Your ambassador to Portugal even visited our officers soon after the kidnap.

“The bad news for us is that we got nowhere with this avenue of inquiry, which was both frustrating and infuriating.”

For, despite all the talk, nothing appears to have been done officially with the British government and the formal requests were never made.

Last night a spokesman for Mr Johnson said extensive checks within the security intelligence community had failed to discover any formal request ever having come to them through Leicestershire Police from Portugal.

However, he said that if a request were now made Mr Johnson would see whether he could offer any assistance in trying to persuade the Americans to become co-operative.

The issue appears so sensitive that Prime Minister Mr Brown may have to speak directly to US President Barack Obama in order to achieve co-operation.

The Sunday Express sought explanations for the extraordinary situation from the US government’s ultra- secretive National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

The agency’s lawyers are now considering a Freedom of Information request from the Sunday Express.

A spokesman for the agency said: “NGA does not provide imagery to private citizens or private companies. For reasons of national security we do not discuss specifics about what images we have or our capabilities.”

Private investigators working for parents Kate and Gerry McCann, who live in Rothley, Leicestershire, have also tried to access US satellite images, but with no success.

[Carana]

Sorry, the article doesn't even make sense to me.

And the article doesn't answer my question as to why Portugal didn't use its diplomatic contacts with the US (if the PJ seriously thought that military satellites could have identified whoever was carrying Madeleine that night in a sleepy village).