Source: CNN
A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents about Israel’s preparations to attack Iran late-last year, according to the Department of Justice.
Asif William Rahman had been employed by the CIA since 2016 and held a top secret security clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information, some of the most sensitive information within the US government.
Beginning in the spring of 2024, the Department of Justice said Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified information, taking them to his home and altering them in an attempt to conceal their source. Rahman then shared the top-secret information with multiple people who were not authorized to receive it, the department said.
“Mr. Rahman’s actions placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future,” said Jessica Aber, US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Rahman’s attorneys declined to comment.
Documents from October 2024 showing Israel’s preparations to attack Iran were ultimately posted on social media. The two documents were marked top secret and had markings indicating they were meant to be seen only by the US and its “Five Eyes” allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
At the time, Israel was preparing to respond to a major Iranian ballistic missile attack on October 1, which involved more than 200 ballistic missiles launched at targets across Israel.
The leak of the documents was a rare occasion that exposed US spying on its own allies, and it risked straining relations between the US and Israel at a time when the Biden administration was trying to pressure Israel to limit its military operations in Gaza and abroad.
As the documents were shared publicly, the Department of Justice said Rahman deleted and edited journal entries to try to hide his personal opinions and cover his tracks. The department says Rahman also destroyed multiple electronic devices, including a personal cell phone and an internet router that he had used to send classified information and pictures of sensitive documents.