A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official has been charged for leaking classified intelligence regarding Israel’s plans for a retaliatory strike on Iran, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Asif Rahman, a former CIA officer with top-secret security clearance, was arrested in Cambodia by the FBI and is set to appear in federal court in Guam on Thursday.
Rahman, who had served abroad for the CIA, was indicted in Virginia last week on two counts of willful retention and transmission of national intelligence information.
The charges stem from the leak of documents that outlined Israeli preparations for a potential strike on Iran. The leaked materials were shared on the Telegram app by an account named Middle East Spectator.
The classified documents, while detailing Israel’s planned actions, did not reveal specific military targets. This disclosure follows recent escalations, with Iran launching nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1 in response to the deaths of Tehran-backed leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel subsequently retaliated with airstrikes on Iranian military sites in late October.
