US Government Employee Asif William Rahman Charged for Leaking Classified Information on Israel’s Military Plans

A U.S. government employee, Asif William Rahman, has been charged with leaking classified information related to Israel’s potential military actions against Iran. Rahman, who held a top-secret security clearance, was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia and is set to appear in court in Guam.

Rahman, 34, was indicted last week in Virginia on two felony counts for willfully transmitting national defense information. The charges are linked to documents from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Security Agency (NSA) that surfaced on the Telegram messaging app last month. These documents indicated that Israel was preparing military assets in response to Iran’s missile attacks.

The leaked documents outlined Israel’s preparations for a potential strike on Iran, including details on air force drills and munitions preparations. These documents were intended for restricted circulation within the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Rahman worked abroad for the CIA, although his precise connection to the NGA remains unclear. His arrest follows a series of security breaches within U.S. intelligence, including the recent sentencing of Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira to 15 years in prison for leaking sensitive information on the war in Ukraine.

The FBI is currently investigating how the documents were leaked, examining whether it was an intentional act by an intelligence community member or the result of a hack. The emergence of these documents has raised significant concerns about potential compromises in U.S. intelligence and underscores the ongoing tensions in the region following Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran in late October.