A CIA official, Asif W. Rahman, has been charged with leaking classified documents allegedly revealing Israel’s potential plans to strike Iran in response to a missile attack earlier this year, the New York Times reports.

Rahman was indicted last week in federal court in Virginia on two counts related to the unauthorized retention and disclosure of national defense information. He was apprehended by the FBI on Tuesday in Cambodia and transported to Guam, where he is set to appear in federal court on Thursday.

The leaked documents, originally prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), contain sensitive information based on satellite images, providing intelligence on a possible Israeli response to Iranian aggression. The NGA plays a critical role in interpreting satellite data for military and clandestine operations, and the contents of these documents are considered highly classified. The documents began circulating last month on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, prompting an investigation by the FBI and intelligence agencies to trace the leak’s origin.

Rahman, who worked abroad for the CIA and held a top-secret security clearance, allegedly had access to sensitive compartmentalized information, a standard clearance level for CIA operatives handling classified materials. The FBI confirmed its involvement last month, noting it was working alongside the Department of Defense and other intelligence partners to investigate the leak.

The FBI has been tasked with overseeing violations of the Espionage Act, a law that criminalizes the unauthorized retention of defense information that could potentially harm U.S. security or benefit a foreign adversary.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)