  We report the XMM-Newton discovery of the first Compton-thick obscured AGN in
a Broad Line Radio Galaxy, the Gigahertz Peaked-Spectrum source Mkn668
(OQ+208). The remarkably flat 2-10 keV X-ray spectrum (observed photon index,
\Gamma ~ 0.7), alongside with a prominent iron K-alpha fluorescent emission
line, is a clear signature of a Compton-reflection dominated spectrum. Mkn688
represents a remarkable example of discrepancy between X-ray spectral
properties and optical classification, as its optical spectrum is characterized
by broad and asymmetric Balmer lines. The obscuring matter is constrained to be
located within the radio hotspots, in turn separated by about 10 pc. If the
jets are piercing their way through a Compton-thick medium pervading the
nuclear environment, one could be largely underestimating the radio activity
dynamical age determined from the observed hotspot recession velocity. The soft
X-ray spectrum is dominated by a much steeper component, which may be due to
nuclear continuum electron scattering, or inverse Compton of the - remarkably
large - far infrared emission. Soft X-rays are suppressed by a further
Compton-thin (N_H ~ 10^21/cm/cm) absorbing system, that we identify with matter
responsible for free-free absorption of the radio lobes.
