False flags are sneaky political, intelligence, or military operations designed to shift blame.

They date back to the 16th century when pirates hoisted someone else’s flag intending to confuse and blame their crimes on others. The war in Ukraine has brought the term back into the spotlight but what does it mean today’s parlance?

SPYSCAPE examines five false flag ops, including Operation Northwoods, a US military proposal to disrupt Cuba.

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Operation Northwoods

The US military devised a plan intended to provoke war with Havana and get rid of Soviet ally Fidel Castro. Plans were drafted in the 1960s to create chaos in US cities, believing it would drum up public support for a war against Cuba. Operation Northwoods included a plot to target an empty US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame it on Havana. "Sabotage ship in harbour; large fires," says a Pentagon memo. "Sink ship near harbour entrance. Conduct funeral for mock victims." In March 1962, plans were reportedly presented to President John F. Kennedy's administration and rejected.

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Operation TPAJAX‍

The US hoped to undermine the Iranian government in 1953, as part of a plan to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. One of the tactics reportedly used in Operation TPAJAX was to carry out attacks on mosques, which would be blamed on Iranian communists loyal to the government. The CIA destroyed almost all of the files on its proposed 1953 coup, however, so the full details aren’t clear.

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Operation Susanna

In 1954, the Israeli Army is suspected of recruiting Egyptian Jews who were caught with plans to bomb American, British, and Egyptian targets in Egypt. The bombings were to be blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood and Egyptian communists to create a climate of violence and political instability. The plot was exposed by Egyptian authorities before it began, however. Israeli defense minister, Pinhas Lavon, resigned but was he really to blame? Documents released later indicate that the head of military intelligence, Col. Benjamin Gili, may have acted without Lavon’s approval. 

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Stasi false flags

During the Cold War, the East German Stasis deployed ‘Romeo’ spies, attractive men sent to entice West German secretaries to reveal top-secret intelligence. The honey trap mission was also a false flag operation. Several of the female West German civil servants believed they were handing classified documents to members of West German peace advocacy groups. According to Jack Barsky, a SPYEX consultant and ex-KGB sleeper agent: "Many a right-wing radical had given information to the Soviets under a 'false flag', thinking they were working with a Western ally, such as Israel, when in fact their contact was a KGB operative."

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Cyber ops‍

False flag operations come in many disguises including cyber attacks. When cyber warriors attacked Israeli government computers in 2019 and 2020, Iran was the first suspect - after all, the hackers wrote in Farsi and used techniques similar to the Iranians. Looks can be deceiving, however. As analysts gathered more evidence, they determined that Iran wasn’t the culprit. Instead, it was more likely that Chinese operatives posing as Tehran hackers were to blame. The US cybersecurity firm FireEye, working with the Israeli military, exposed what they suspected to be a false flag cyber op.