Spies - What happens to those who are caught?

[jen78]

Just wondering having watched tonight's episode of Spooks.

[Rosetta]

Hi Jen, just finished watching it myself, excellent in my opinion.

In true Spooks fashion , when they have spilt the beans, they are either killed off, or given a new identity.

Who know s, Mr ? around the corner may have had a double life, he may even seem to be a cat lover lol

[Rosetta]

Sorry, just seen the category ( no pun intended) so should be serious

[Schutzengel]

Hello Jen,
Seeing that you posted your question in History/Myths, a couple of centuries ago spies and traitors in England, were locked up in the Tower of London to await execution. the executions were in public, often by beheading or hanging, often followed by drawing and quartering. Later on, executed felons bodies were given to medical establishments for dissection and study. Pretty gruesome!!

[paddywak]

In the UK during WW II, sixteen spies including including two British citizens were executed, fifteen by hanging in civil jails. For some unknown reason the sixteenth Josef Jakobs was executed by firing squad in the old rifle range at the Tower of London, hille an unknown number of spies were turned and used to feed false info to the Germans. In modern times in this country, spies have been debriefed, and imprisoned and sometime exchanged (as far as we Know),but different countries deal with things in other ways America for instance executed the Rosenbergs for selling nuclear secrets in the fifties while other countries tend to even less humane in their treatment of spies