CNN
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A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty late last year to leaking classified documents about Israel’s preparations to attack Iran, the Justice Department said.
Asif William Rahman has been employed by the CIA since 2016 and holds top-secret classified information with access to classified information, some of the most sensitive information within the U.S. government. Ta.
The Justice Department said Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed confidential information, then took it to his home and altered it to conceal its origin. Rahman then shared the confidential information with multiple people who were not authorized to receive it, the department said.
“Mr. Rahman’s actions endangered lives, damaged the United States’ foreign relations, and impaired our ability to gather critical intelligence in the future,” said Jessica Abar, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. .
Rahman’s lawyer declined to comment.
An October 2024 document showing Israel’s preparations to attack Iran was finally posted on social media. The two documents were marked top secret, meaning they could only be viewed by the United States and its Five Eyes allies: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
At the time, Israel was preparing to respond to a major ballistic missile attack by Iran on October 1, in which more than 200 ballistic missiles were fired at targets across Israel.
The leak of the documents is a rare exposure of US spying on its own allies, and comes at a time when the Biden administration is trying to pressure Israel to limit military operations in and around Gaza. There was a risk of straining the relationship.
As the documents were shared publicly, the Justice Department said Rahman deleted and edited entries in the diary to hide his personal opinions and attempt to cover his tracks. The ministry said Rahman also destroyed several electronic devices, including his personal cell phone and internet router, which he used to send confidential information and photos of confidential documents.