A CIA official has been charged and arrested for violating the Espionage Act for disclosing classified documents about Israel’s retaliation against Iran last month.
Asif William Rahman, has been charged with two counts of two counts of transmission of national defense information and willful retention.
Court documents reveal, Rahman was arrested on Tuesday in Cambodia and has since been transported to Guam where he will appear before a Federal Court.
The charges against Rahman allege he received access to a classified document marked “top secret” and “secure compartmented information” on October 17 and gave the document to someone who wasn’t authorized to receive it.
CIA official charged in Israel docs leak pic.twitter.com/BpF9xbYlLE
— Karli Bonne’ 🇺🇸 (@KarluskaP) November 13, 2024
Per USA Today:
A CIA official has been indicted on charges he violated the Espionage Act by disclosing classified U.S. documents about Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike against Iran for a missile attack earlier this year, according to court records and a source familiar with the charges.
Asif William Rahman was indicted Nov. 7 in federal court in Virginia on two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information.
ADVERTISEMENTRahman was arrested Tuesday in Cambodia and brought to Guam to appear in federal court, according to court records. A initial court appearance was scheduled Thursday in Guam.
The CIA had no comment on the case. A Justice Department spokesperson declined comment beyond what was included in court records.
The indictment says Rahman gained access to a classified document marked “top secret” and “secure compartmented information” on Oct. 17 in Phnom Penh in Cambodia and delivered the document to someone who wasn’t entitled to receive it.
The document dealing with Israel’s strike, which circulated on the messaging app Telegram, appeared to have been prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. It described U.S. interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning using satellite imagery from Oct. 15 and 16. Federal authorities investigated the leak.
🚨 The Iran leaker has been arrested!
A CIA official, Asif Rahman, was arrested by the FBI this week in Cambodia, where he worked for the US government abroad, and charged with leaking classified information about Israel's plans to attack Iran.
— Marina Medvin 🇺🇸 (@MarinaMedvin) November 13, 2024
Here’s what The New York Times reported:
A C.I.A. official has been charged with disclosing classified documents that appeared to show Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile attack earlier this year, according to court documents and people familiar with the matter.
The official, Asif W. Rahman, was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia on two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. He was arrested by the F.B.I. on Tuesday in Cambodia and was set to appear in federal court in Guam on Thursday.
The leak offered a glimpse into the depth of American concerns about Israel’s plans and illustrated the extent to which the United States spies on even its closest allies.
The documents, dated mid-October, were prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes images and information collected by U.S. spy satellites. It conducts work in support of clandestine and military operations.
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Asif Rahman, a CIA official leaked Israel’s plans to Iran. Ummah above anything else. Whatever happened to CIA’s famed recruitment. pic.twitter.com/GEnIvZ6Rti
— Ram (@ramprasad_c) November 13, 2024
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