CIA Official Charged With Leaking Classified Documents About Israel's Plans to Retaliate Against Iran

A CIA official has been charged with disclosing classified documents regarding Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran for an attack on its soil. Concretely, Asif W. Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on Tuesday and brought before a federal court in Guam. He was indicted with two counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. He is set to appear in Guam on Thursday.

The leak created an international firestorm, considering the sensibility of the documents, which were prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes information from U.S. spy satellites.

Rahman held a top security clearance and had access to sensitive information, with the caveat that it was compartmentalized, as it is the case with many CIA officials who handle classified material.

Different government agencies had confirmed the authenticity of the leaked documents, marked top secret and intended for U.S. and "Five Eyes" allies only. A U.S. official described the leak as "deeply concerning." The documents, dated October 15 and 16, began circulating online after being posted on Telegram by an account named "Middle East Spectator."

Several officials had expressed alarm for the leak, with Senator Marco Rubio, set to become Donald Trump's secretary of state, calling it an "act of treason." "It's aiding an enemy in the United States, a government in Iran that basically says 'Death to America, Death to Israel' every week. It's their slogan," Rubio said in October.

The news come a day after a federal judge sentenced Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira to 15 years in prison for leaking classified military documents about the war in Ukraine, with prosecutors saying the actions put the country's national security at risk, endangered other military members and damaged U.S. relationships with allies. Teixeira had pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act roughly a year after being detained.