CIA official charged with leaking classified information on Israeli preparations for strike on Iran

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - A CIA official working overseas has been charged with disclosing classified documents allegedly detailing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, according to a report on Wednesday.

Citing court records and sources familiar with the case, The Washington Post reported that the official, Asif W. Rahman, was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday and taken to the US overseas territory of Guam.

On Thursday, he was indicted in federal court in Northern Virginia, near the CIA headquarters in Langley, close to Washington, DC.

Rahman faces two counts under the Espionage Act for willfully transmitting classified information. The top secret American documents were disclosed unlawfully on Oct. 17 from Cambodia, said the Post.

On Oct. 22, the FBI said it was investigating the leak of purportedly classified documents detailing Israel's preparations for its avowed retaliatory strike on Iran.

The documents, dated Oct. 15 and 16, began circulating on Oct. 20 after being shared on the Telegram channel Middle East Spectator. The leaks reportedly came from a source within the US intelligence community.

On Oct.1, Iran carried out a ballistic attack in retaliation for the assassinations of Hamas' former political leader in Tehran in July and the killing of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut this September.

Nearly 200 missiles were fired in the salvo, which struck several locations in Israel, including a military facility, but resulted in no fatalities.