Umair
A former C.I.A. analyst admitted in federal court on Friday that he violated national defense laws after he shared classified information on social media about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile attack in 2024.
The former analyst, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, Va., pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act. In November, he was arrested by F.B.I. agents in Cambodia, where he worked for the spy agency.
“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 D. Aber, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The documents — dated mid-October — offered a window into American concerns about Israel’s plans and demonstrated the extent to which the United States watches even its closest allies. The documents were prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes images and information collected by U.S. spy satellites. It conducts work in support of clandestine and military operations.
Once the documents spilled into public view on the Telegram app, the F.B.I. moved swiftly to determine who leaked them. It did not take long for agents to figure out that Mr. Rahman printed the documents on Oct. 17 and shared them with unauthorized people, prosecutors said. The next day, the documents appeared on social media.
Agents also learned that Mr. Rahman went to lengths to conceal his personal views about American policy and tried to cover his tracks. Prosecutors said Mr. Rahman destroyed electronic devices, including an internet router that he used to send classified information and photographs. Agents learned he tossed the devices in public trash bins.
Prosecutors said that he repeatedly retrieved and printed classified information beginning in the spring of 2024, just months after Hamas terrorists waged a brutal campaign on Israel, killing about 1,200 men, women and children. That attack, on Oct. 7, incited a war that left people divided about Israel’s response and tens of thousands dead in Gaza.
Mr. Rahman is set to be sentenced on May 25 and faces up to 10 years in prison for both counts in the plea agreement. Mr. Rahman’s lawyer, Amy Jeffress, declined to comment.
Seamus Hughes contributed reporting.
