A former CIA analyst admitted Friday to leaking highly classified records detailing Israeli military preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, The Washington Post reported.
The records, which were posted on social media last year, prompted officials to postpone the attack.
Asif Rahman was apprehended after FBI investigators traced the download of the two leaked documents to his workstation at the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The documents from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — marked top secret — described aviation exercises and the movement of munition carts at an Israeli airfield, signaling preparations for a strike on Iran. However, they contained no images, according to US officials.
On Friday, Rahman, 34, pleaded guilty in US District Court in Alexandria to two counts of transmitting national defense information, reversing his earlier denial of the charges. US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles scheduled sentencing for May 15.
Under the Espionage Act, Rahman could face up to 20 years in prison, though as a first-time offender, his sentence is likely to be shorter. Both sides agreed that federal sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term of roughly five to six and a half years. The plea agreement also permits prosecutors to seek a reduced sentence if Rahman continues to cooperate with US officials.
Last month, Judge Tolliver Giles ruled that Rahman would remain in jail while awaiting trial.
Defense attorney Amy Jeffress stated in court that Rahman had been negotiating with federal prosecutors since late December to address his responsibility. She declined to comment after the hearing.
The documents were leaked on Oct. 17 via a Telegram channel called “Middle East Spectator,” coinciding with Iran’s heightened alert for Israeli retaliation. Tehran had launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel approximately two weeks prior. At the time of the leaks, the Biden administration was actively discouraging Israel from striking Iranian nuclear sites or energy facilities. US officials described the leak as unsettling but not damaging to diplomatic relations.
During Friday’s hearing, prosecutors revealed for the first time that Rahman had printed out a set of five documents marked secret or top secret while working as a CIA analyst in Virginia in spring 2024. He took the documents home, copied them, and shared them with unauthorized individuals, according to Assistant US Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. The content and recipients of these documents were not disclosed.
In October, Rahman accessed the two classified documents about Israel’s military preparations and sent them to “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them,” Edwards said. Their identities were not disclosed.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)