CIA Twitter Account Reveals Sense Of Humour

             

The Central Intelligence Agency has launched a Twitter account, revealing a previously undercover sense of humour.

"We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet," said the agency, tongue firmly in cheek, in its first post.

The account, @CIA, attracted tens of thousands of followers within hours of launching on Friday.

On Twitter, at least, the secretive agency was following only 25 other accounts - all US government agencies.

"We have important insights to share," said the CIA's director

The CIA's Twitter bio says it accomplishes what others cannot accomplish and goes where others cannot go.

The agency's director John Brennan said in a statement the social media outreach was part of its effort to directly engage with the public.

"We have important insights to share," he said, "and we want to make sure that unclassified information about the Agency is more accessible to the American public that we serve, consistent with our national security mission."

The CIA, which already has Flickr and YouTube accounts, also joined Facebook on Friday.

The agency, based in Langley, Virginia, promised to share reflections on intelligence history and other information on the new accounts.