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US official charged with leaking Israeli military plans

Topline

A man employed by the U.S. government has been accused of leaking confidential documents assessing Israel's retaliatory plans against Iran earlier this year, court papers show Wednesday.

Important facts

Asif William Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday and charged with two counts of intentionally storing and disclosing national defense information, according to records in Guam federal court.

It is not immediately clear which federal agency employed Rahman, although The New York Times, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Rahman was a CIA official who worked for the agency overseas.

The Justice Department has requested that Rahman be transferred to a federal district court in Virginia, which filed charges against Rahman on November 7 to respond to the allegations.

The CIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Crucial quote

An anonymous Israeli official told The Washington Post last month that the contents of the leak were “not that significant,” adding: “The fact that there was a leak is much more significant.”

Important background

The FBI announced in October that the agency was investigating a leak of classified U.S. intelligence about Israel's retaliation plans against Iran. The documents were reportedly distributed online after being posted on Telegram by an account called the “Middle East Spectator” and were only available for review by US officials and their “Five Eyes” allies, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, determined The documents appeared to have been compiled by the Defense Department's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which operates the intelligence community's spy satellites, and another appeared to come from the National Security Agency, according to the Post can. Just days after the Oct. 25 leak, Israel attacked military targets in Iran, more than three weeks after Iran fired ballistic missiles at the country.

Further reading

Washington PostThe FBI is investigating alleged leaks of American intelligence about Israel's war preparationsForbesIsrael launches strikes against Iran in response to ballistic missile attacksFrom Antonio Pequeno IV

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