China’s shadow war: Ice picks in suburbia | Episode Three
The Slow Newscast
Alice Sandelson
4.6 • 894 Ratings
🗓️ 2 April 2026
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A businessman from Tunbridge Wells is accused of leading a double life. He’s secretly recorded planning a brutal attack with ice picks on behalf of the Chinese state. His story takes a dramatic turn with a high-stakes escape.
To enjoy the Slow Newscast ad-free, subscribe to The Observer and use the code AUDIO50 to get 50% off your annual subscription.
You’ll get access to:
This series and all our podcasts before anyone else
Ad-free listening
Premium newsletters
Puzzles from the inventors of the cryptic crossword
Exclusive offers from our partners
Tickets to join Observer events in our newsroom or online
Or subscribe to Observer+ on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to listen to all our podcasts, including this one, without any ads.
Reporters - Alexi Mostrous and Frankie Vetch
Producer - Jonathan Lewis
Additional production - Amalie Sortland
Sound design - Dominic Delargy
Podcast illustration - Shonagh Rae
Editor - Jasper Corbett
Credits - Voice of America, CBS
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | The Observer. |
| 0:10.0 | They want it bang, bang and gone. |
| 0:14.7 | No, talking to nothing. |
| 0:16.8 | Like a mugging or something. |
| 0:18.3 | Take his fucking watch. |
| 0:19.5 | Take his phone. |
| 0:20.4 | Do you care if it's bullets versus baseball bad? |
| 0:22.9 | Not necessarily, but I think you get paid more for bullets. |
| 0:26.9 | In autumn of 2023, a British man is secretly recorded. |
| 0:32.6 | He thinks he's talking to someone who can help him organise an attack on a Chinese dissident. |
| 0:39.0 | But actually, he's speaking to a confidential informant working for the FBI. |
| 0:45.0 | Transcripts of the man's phone calls are later published in court. |
| 0:48.8 | They're pretty brutal. |
| 0:50.4 | The plan is to break the dissident's knees, to stab him with an ice pick. |
| 0:55.6 | An ice pick is the best way of doing it. On the knees and ankles. |
| 0:59.6 | It doesn't necessarily have to be bullets. |
| 1:01.5 | Having fucked up and have his picture taken. |
| 1:03.4 | Fucked up. |
| 1:04.5 | The man wants to make it look like a robbery. |
| 1:07.9 | We're not talking about a gangster here, although he sounds like one. |
| 1:11.9 | The man I'm talking about is an English businessman. |
| 1:15.5 | He has a wife who works as a church warden and a daughter who loves him. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Alice Sandelson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Alice Sandelson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.