Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Getty Images
A U.S. government employee, Asif William Rahman, has been charged with leaking classified information related to Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran, according to court documents unsealed on Wednesday (November 13). The leaked documents, which appeared on the internet last month, allegedly exposed Israel's retaliation plans, marking a significant breach of national security.
Rahman, who was employed abroad, was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday and brought to Guam, as per the charging documents. He is charged with willful transmission of national defense information. While the exact details of the information he allegedly shared remain unclear, the charges are related to the widely reported leak last month.
ABC News reports that the leaked documents were believed to be Israel's plans for retaliation against Iran. The documents were posted by a Telegram account called "Middle East Spectator" and were marked top secret, intended only for the U.S. and its "Five Eyes" allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, according to CNN.
Rahman held a top-secret security clearance and had access to sensitive, compartmentalized information. The Justice Department has requested a federal judge to move him to Virginia to stand trial. The case is being taken "very seriously," according to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.