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Eric O'Neill

Former FBI analyst placed as Robert Hanssen's nominal assistant in the final months of the FBI's mole investigation; his role was to observe Hanssen and detect tradecraft slip-ups that would confirm Hanssen as the mole. After Hanssen's arrest, O'Neill resigned from the FBI, citing the stress of the operation. Subject of the 2007 film Breach.

Eric O’Neill is a former FBI analyst who, in the final months of the FBI’s investigation of senior counterintelligence officer Robert Hanssen, was placed as Hanssen’s nominal assistant in order to observe him for tradecraft slip-ups that would confirm him as the mole.[1][2]

Per John Kiriakou, O’Neill was not in fact an assistant: “Eric O’Neill was actually there to spy on Hanssen to see if there were any slip-ups that would indicate that he was the mole.”[1]

After the arrest

The operation’s psychological toll was significant. Per Kiriakou: “The stress was so awful in this case that he quit the FBI after Hanssen was arrested.”[2]

Breach

The 2007 film Breach portrays the operation with O’Neill as protagonist. Per Kiriakou: “Eric O’Neill is a hero in this movie.”[2]

See also

See also

References

  1. ↑ Covert Operations Insight, 2026-05-25 — 31:34 on YouTube · Transcript
  2. ↑ Covert Operations Insight, 2026-05-25 — 32:07 on YouTube · Transcript
Categories: People