New York [US], November 13 (HBTV): A former United States government employee has been charged with allegedly leaking classified documents detailing Israel's potential plans to retaliate against Iran earlier this year, local media reported on Wednesday, citing court filings.
The CIA official, identified as Asif William Rahman, was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday by the FBI and charged with two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information, according to filings in Guam's federal court, The New York Times reported.
The documents were prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes images and information collected by US spy satellites in support of clandestine and military operations, the NYT stated.
Court documents revealed that Rahman held a top-secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmentalized information. According to court records, Rahman allegedly leaked the information illegally on October 17 from locations outside the US, including in Cambodia, CBS News reported.
He was indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia last week and is set to make an initial appearance in Guam federal court for removal proceedings on Thursday.
US investigators within the Pentagon and the FBI launched an investigation last month after documents belonging to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency appeared on a Telegram channel around the time Israel was reportedly considering a retaliatory strike against Iran, sources told CBS News.
In April, Iran attacked Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian embassy compound in Syria that had killed several top commanders from Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). An Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital on July 30 killed Hezbollah's top commander Fuad Shukr, and the next day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion in Tehran.
In September, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. On October 1, Iran launched an attack on Israel, and the Israel Defense Forces carried out retaliatory strikes on October 25 targeting several sites in Iran, including facilities linked to Iranian drone and missile programs and its air defense network. The Iranian military confirmed that four soldiers died in the attack.
(ANI)