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Minister of the Interior Ögmundur Jónasson stated his opinion at Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, that the FBI had intended to use the young man they questioned, known as Siggi ‘the hacker,’ as bait in their investigation of WikiLeaks.
The affair was discussed at parliament this morning where opposition MP Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir harshly criticized the minister for having compromised the prosecution’s freedom, ruv.is reports.
Another opposition MP, Siv Friðleifsdóttir, revealed that during meetings with parliamentary committees this week, State Prosecutor Sigríður Friðjónsdóttir stated she had been very surprised when Ögmundur decided to order the FBI agents to leave the country in August 2011.
Sigríður had found his actions bizarre, Siv added, as in her view, both the first and second visit of the FBI in summer 2011 had to do with closely-connected cases.
However, Ögmundur maintains that the FBI had only requested permission before they arrived the first time and that while the initial investigation had to do with an imminent attack on the Government Office’s computer system, the second had to do with WikiLeaks and that these two cases were unconnected.
The minister concluded that according to his evaluation, the FBI intended to use Siggi ‘the hacker’ as bait to approach WikiLeaks.
Opposition MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who has worked for WikiLeaks, harshly criticized Icelandic police authorities for the actions in the affair, accusing them of having blindly believed the stories of two hackers, Siggi, and another one called Sabu.
The Icelandic police opened the possibility for the FBI to come to Iceland under false pretense, Birgitta claimed.
Click here to read more about the FBI-WikiLeaks affair.
ESA
A petition urging the government to reconsider a proposed bill, in which the terms of the law requiring fishing companies to pay a tariff for their use of Iceland’s fishing resources are to be changed, has been signed by more than 11,000 people.
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Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson is meeting with Prime Minister of Sweden Frederik Reinfeldt today, 
A three-meter long walrus was discovered on the shores by Eyri in the town of Reyðarfjörður in East Iceland yesterday.
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In 1915, women aged 40 and over were granted the right to cast a vote in all official elections held in Iceland.
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The 2013 June-July issue of Iceland Review is out. Themed ‘We Are Young’ the magazine celebrates the arrival of summer by interviewing young energetic Icelanders who excel in art, sports, business and politics—and Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the youngest PM in the republic’s history and the world’s youngest ruling state leader. Click here to take a look at a selection of the current issue and here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
amiina
The road to Höfn, a 1,690-person harbor town by the fjord Hornafjörður, is lined with reindeer. Whole herds of the wild horned animals rest peacefully on withered pastures, grace next to sheep and horses and bounce along the road. Soon, Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier and the region’s biggest attraction, comes into view. Looming over Höfn, its outlet glaciers flow down from the mountains on which the bright white icecap rests.
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Sin Fang will celebrate the release of his third album with a release concert in Iðnó on June 12. Flowers was released in February by Morr Music and has been well received by music enthusiasts and critics alike. The concert will be supported by Vök, this year’s winners of the Icelandic Music Experiments.
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