CIA official charged with violating Espionage Act for leaking documents revealing Israel’s plans to attack Iran
The man was arrested after an FBI investigation and could face considerable prison time
A fighter jet being prepared ahead of the Israeli army’s attack on Iran, Oct. 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces (IDF)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(JTA) — A CIA official was charged with violating the Espionage Act after the FBI found him responsible for a recent leak of classified documents revealing Israeli plans to attack Iran.
The man, Asif W. Rahman, was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia on two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information, according to The New York Times, felony charges that could carry significant prison sentences. (Former U.S. Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, who had recorded himself delivering an antisemitic rant, was sentenced to 15 years on Tuesday for similar charges.)
Rahman, who worked overseas, was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday and brought to Guam, where he will appear in court Thursday.
The documents stemmed from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which aids in clandestine and military operations, and the National Security Agency, and appeared on the Telegram messaging app in October. The documents revealed that Israel was preparing to conduct a military strike in retaliation to Iran’s Oct. 1 missile barrage on Israel. Rahman reportedly held a top-secret security clearance.
Israel conducted strikes on military targets in Iran in late October.
The FBI had acknowledged the leak last month and had said, according to the Times, that it was “working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and intelligence community” to identify the source of the leak.
Rahman’s arrest also follows separate leaks in Israel that roiled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet and contributed to his decision to fire Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last week.
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