The CIA has come in from the social media cold, joining Hollywood stars and celebrities on Instagram.
America's spy agency made its first foray on the picture-based network with a cryptic photograph of a cluttered desk, accompanied by the caption "I spy with my little eye..."
On the desk, believed to be located inside CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, were objects associated with espionage including a "burn bag" for getting rid of secret documents, an Arabic notebook, a wig, foreign bank notes and a container marked "top secret pulp". The agency invited people to decipher the meaning of the items.
The photo immediately sent amateur Instagram sleuths into a frenzy. Most quickly picked up on the symbolism of a clock reading 8.46am - the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. And hanging from the chair is a security badge, which, on closer inspection, carries an old photograph of Gina Haspel, the CIA director.
Instagram, owned by Facebook, has more than a billion users. Among the most followed are Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Cristiano Ronaldo, each of whom has in excess of 100 million followers.
