Suspect charged in leak of classified documents on Israel’s preparations for possible Iran strike
Authorities have arrested and charged a man suspected of leaking classified documents that described Israel’s preparations for a possible attack against Iran, according to a New York Times report.
The Times report names U.S. government employee Asif William Rahman as the suspect. Fox News has learned that Rahman worked for the CIA.
A court filing states that Rahman was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia with two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. FBI agents arrested Rahman on Tuesday in Cambodia and brought him to federal court in Guam to face charges.
FBI INVESTIGATING LEAK OF CLASSIFIED DOCS ON ISRAELI PREPARATIONS FOR POSSIBLE IRAN STRIKE
Iranian air defense reportedly operating as Israel began striking Iranian targets in Tehran. (Obtained by Fox News)
The classified documents, attributed to the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. They were shareable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The documents, marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app in October. The original poster claimed they had been leaked by someone in the U.S. intelligence community, then later the U.S. Defense Department. The information appeared entirely gathered through the use of satellite image analysis.
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The documents are descriptions of satellite images showing Israeli warplanes preparing for a strike and practicing air refueling, according to officials. There is no information in the leaked documents about what the targets are or what Israel planned to strike.
US INVESTIGATING RELEASE OF CLASSIFIED DOCS ON ISRAEL’S PLANNED STRIKE ON IRAN
The Department of Defense has already confirmed it is investigating the unauthorized release. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images)
“These are NOT Israeli war plans for Iran,” a senior U.S. defense official told Fox News at the time.
The FBI said in October it was investigating the leak.
IDF SAYS ‘MISSION IS NOT OVER’ UNTIL HOSTAGES ARE RETURNED: ‘WE WILL NOT REST’
The FBI confirmed an investigation into the alleged leak of classified documents. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
“The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community,” the bureau said in a statement. “As this is an ongoing investigation, we have no further comment.”
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The Defense Department also confirmed it was investigating the unauthorized release.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and Jennifer Griffin, as well as the Associated Press contributed to this report.
