British MI5 agent leaves secret Northern Ireland documents on train

The documents remained missing by late Sunday, the Sun reported. In recent months there has been a string of similar incidents, including at least one in which a laptop computer with top secret files was stolen.

The head of MI5 - the counterintelligence service - Stephen Lander, had informed Prime Minister Tony Blair about the lost case, which contained documents MI5 was "extremely anxious" to recover, the Sun said.

In March a laptop containing secrets relating to Northern Ireland was stolen at London's Paddington station. Days later a spy from MI6, the intelligence service, was revealed to have lost a laptop during a drinking party at a Spanish-style tapas bar. Two weeks later, a senior army officer's laptop was stolen at Heathrow.

(la/dpa)