A US government official has been indicted for leaking classified national defense intelligence documents, according to federal court records unsealed today.
The indictment against CIA official Asif William Rahman on two counts of knowingly passing on classified information did not provide details about the nature of the leak.
However, the indictment states that the leak occurred on or around October 17. Around this date a pro-Iranian Telegram account called “Middle East Spectator” published what appeared to be documents from the National Geospatial Intelligence Service that shared information about Israeli preparations to attack Iran.
The information in the documents was based on satellite images from October 15-16.
In an earlier statement, the Middle East Spectator emphasized that it had received the documents through an unnamed source and that it had no connection to the original leaker, nor could it verify the authenticity of the documents. The FBI confirmed in October that it had launched an investigation into who leaked the documents.
According to the indictment, which is dated Nov. 7, investigators believe the leak occurred in Cambodia.
Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on November 12 and is expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Guam on November 14 before being transferred to stand trial in the Eastern District of Virginia.
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