Shadowy North Korean dissident group says it raided embassy, contacted FBI

By Zachary Cohen, CNN
Updated 1026 GMT (1826 HKT) March 27, 2019

Washington (CNN) — A shadowy North Korean dissident group claimed responsibility for last month's raid on Pyongyang's embassy in the Spanish capital, Madrid on Tuesday but disputed allegations that what occurred at the diplomatic compound was an "attack" involving armed intruders.

Cheollima Civil Defense, a secretive organization whose goal is to overthrow the Kim regime in North Korea, also denied that any other foreign governments were involved in the operation or that it was related to President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's summit in Hanoi, which occurred days later.

"This was not an attack. We responded to an urgent situation in the Madrid embassy. We were invited into the embassy, and contrary to reports, no one was gagged or beaten. Out of respect for the host nation of Spain, no weapons were used. All occupants in the embassy were treated with dignity and necessary caution. There were no other governments involved with or aware of our activity until after the event," a statement released by CCD said.

"We have evidence verifying our account. It is to protect those who seek our help, and those who take great risk to protect others, that we cannot share more about the event at this time. We continue to be engaged in extraordinarily sensitive work around the world," it added.

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