A federal judge has ruled that Asif Rahman, a 34-year-old CIA analyst from Vienna, Virginia, will remain in jail while awaiting trial for allegedly leaking top-secret information about a potential Israeli military operation against Iran, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles overturned a previous magistrate's decision that would have allowed Rahman to be released under certain restrictions. The detention hearing revealed new details about the government's investigation into the classified document leak.
Prosecutor Troy Edwards argued that Rahman's motivation appeared to be ideological. "He comes from a wealthy family and has access to a multimillion-dollar family trust, and therefore wouldn't have a financial incentive," Edwards stated, suggesting the motive was determined through a process of elimination.
During Rahman's arrest in Cambodia, where he worked at the US embassy in Phnom Penh, investigators found eight pages of notes. These included two separate to-do lists, one with apparently encrypted text and an unencrypted reference to US missile capabilities. Edwards noted that investigators have not yet deciphered the encryption.
The leaked documents, originating from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, revealed Israel's preparations for a military strike on Iran following Iran's missile attack on October 1.
Israel ultimately conducted an attack on Iran's air defense systems and missile manufacturing facilities in late October.
Prosecutors emphasized the potential danger of the leak, writing, "It is hard to overstate what other circumstances present graver risks of danger to human life than unilaterally deciding to transmitting information related to plans for kinetic military action between two countries."
Rahman's attorney, Amy Jeffress, challenged the detention, citing news sources that have downplayed the leak's significance.
Following the hearing, Jeffress announced her intention to appeal the detention order.