Washington ? U.S. Marines preparing for shore leave in the Seychelles islands were having a standard security briefing this week when they were shown photos of a figure who’s been in the news lately: Russian spy suspect Anna Chapman.

The 28-year-old has been an Internet sensation since photos of her popped up in the tabloids within hours of her arrest by the FBI last Monday. News organizations copied scores of the photos from her personal pages on social-networking websites here and in Russia.

Security officers hoped the pictures would be a wake-up call to their charges, especially the younger ones. The message was this: Whatever stereotypes they might have for spies are probably wrong.

And that loose lips sink ships.

“Her pictures are now part of our (counterintelligence) awareness briefs,” said a security officer, “so that when we tell the youngsters to beware of the beauties in foreign countries, we’re not just blowing smoke.”

“We always mention some of the techniques” spies use to pry secrets from sailors, the officer added. “Namely, the use of good-looking women to lower a man’s defenses. …

“These women will elicit from their males what kind of job they have, and determine if they have a security clearance, and then try to develop the relationship further, until the woman believes the male is ready to be approached by the actual case officer, who will then try to recruit him to commit espionage,” the officer said.

As for the Chapman photos, “I tell the Marines to imagine such a woman showing interest in them,” the officer said, “and developing a relationship, solely to exploit them.”

Navy ships carrying the 3,000-strong 24th Marine Expedition Unit spent four days anchored off Mahi, the largest of the islands off Africa’s eastern coast.

The Marines are scheduled for another port call before heading home in early August, after almost seven months at sea, most of it in the Middle East.