US indicts suspected leaker of classified documents on Israel’s plans to strike Iran

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. government employee has been indicted for leaking classified national defense information, according to federal court records unsealed on Wednesday.

The indictment, charging Asif William Rahman with two counts of willfully transmitting classified information, does not provide details about the nature of the leak.

However, it says the leak occurred on or about Oct. 17. That was around the time that a pro-Iranian Telegram account called “Middle East Spectator” published what appeared to be a pair of documents produced by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency which shared information about Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran.

The intelligence in the documents was based on satellite imagery from Oct. 15-16.

In a previous statement, the Middle East Spectator said it had received the documents through an anonymous source, and that it had no connection to the original leaker nor could it verify the authenticity of the documents.

   The FBI in October confirmed it was investigating who had leaked the documents.

According to the indictment, which is dated November 7, investigators believe the leak took place in Cambodia. 

Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on Nov. 12, and is expected to make an initial court appearance in a federal court in Guam on Nov. 14 before he is transferred to stand trial in the Eastern District of Virginia.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch, Editing by Franklin Paul)