"So Mrs Petrov was packed into the great black Zim and she with her escort were driven up to Sydney fairly fast to Mascot to board the plane to go take her to Darwin and onwards to Russia and when they got to Mascot there was a seething, roaring crowd around the plane because the word had got around and all the Balts and migrants who hated the Russians had gathered to prevent this woman being forced on board the plane. Mrs Petrov herself, she told me the story later in leisure and in detail, she said "I was terrified. I didn't know whether my husband had been, had been kidnapped or what and when I saw this crowd I thought they want to tear me limb from limb because I've been spying against Australia so I wanted to get aboard that plane".

MICHAEL THWAITES, HEAD OF ASIO COUNTER ESPIONAGE BRANCH