Guam (Nov. 13) — CIA agent Asif W. Rahman has been taken into custody by the FBI on charges of leaking highly classified documents detailing preparations for last month’s Israeli retaliatory strike against Iran. The documents were shared on Telegram channels linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to federal authorities.
The FBI arrested Rahman in Cambodia, where he was stationed and swiftly extradited him to Guam. He now faces charges filed by a federal court in Virginia under the Espionage Act, specifically for the “willful retention and transmission of national defense information.” The leaked information is believed to have originated from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which plays a integral role in supporting U.S. military and intelligence operations worldwide.
As The New York Times reports:
The leak offered a glimpse into the depth of American concerns over Israel’s plans and illustrated the extent to which the United States spies on even its closest allies.
BREAKING Federal prosecutors have charged a man with disclosing classified documents that appeared to show Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile attack earlier this year. The man, Asif W. Rahman, was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia with two… pic.twitter.com/GifaXZluE8
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 13, 2024
The information in the documents is highly classified and details interpretations of satellite imagery that shed light on a possible strike by Israel on Iran, including the type of missiles, planes and other aircraft its military could use.
They began circulating last month on the Telegram app. U.S. officials have previously said that they did not know from where the documents had been taken, and that they were looking for the original source of the leak.
Mr. Rahman worked abroad for the C.IA., and court documents said he held a top-secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmentalized information, which is typical for many C.I.A. employees who handle classified materials.
The CIA declined to comment when approached by The Times. Nonetheless, Rahman’s alleged transgressions may have significant implications for U.S.-Israeli relations and national security, with the full consequences yet to be seen.
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