According to court documents filed on Wednesday, a person working for the U.S. government has been indicted for leaking classified information about Israel’s earlier plans to attack Iran.
The individual in question is Asif William Rahman, who was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia this week and will make his first court appearance in Guam.
Last week, he was charged in a U.S. court in Virginia with two counts of intentionally disclosing national defense secrets, a felony that carries heavy penalties.
It is currently unclear whether Rahman has legal representation or which federal agency he was employed by, but officials have stated that he had the highest level of security clearance.
These charges stem from documents that surfaced on the Telegram messaging app last month, originating from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, which are shared internally within the Five Eyes alliance (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia).
The documents indicated that Israel was still mobilizing military assets to strike back in response to Iran’s intense ballistic missile attacks on October 1.
According to reports by RFI, the leak occurred as Israel completed weeks of preparation for retaliating against Iran. It is alleged that the leak may have been an attempt to undermine Israel’s retaliatory actions. The Pentagon and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have declined to comment on the leaked documents but have not disputed their authenticity.
A Telegram user named “Middle East Spectator” claimed to have received documents about Israel’s preparations to strike Iran from an information source in the U.S. intelligence community.
The documents detailed recent measures taken at several Israeli Air Force bases, including the transfer of advanced ammunition intended for use against Iran. The documents also revealed that, based on U.S. intelligence, the Israeli Air Force conducted a large-scale exercise this week, involving intelligence aircraft and possibly combat aircraft trained for the operation against Iran. The documents further outlined preparations by the Israeli drone unit for the strike on Iran.
A U.S. official told Axios news website that the leak was deeply concerning, but he believed it would not impact Israel’s operational plans against Iran. A senior Israeli official said that the Israeli defense establishment was aware of the leak and taking it very seriously.
At the end of October, Israel carried out retaliatory strikes against multiple locations in Iran.