Former CIA Employee Confesses to Leaking Documents on Israeli Plans to Attack Iran

A former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) named 'Asif Rahman,' who was accused of leaking top-secret documents regarding Israel's military plans to attack Iran, confessed to his charges in court on Friday, January 18, 2024. Asif Rahman, 34, who had been working at the CIA since 2016 and had access to highly classified information, was arrested by the FBI in Cambodia this fall. He may face up to 20 years in prison for willfully retaining and transmitting information related to national defense. According to court documents, Rahman published two top-secret documents on October 17 of this year that concerned 'a foreign ally of the United States and its planned military actions against a foreign enemy.' The court stated that while serving at the CIA, Rahman took photos of classified documents and edited them using software to conceal his source and trail. He then sent these documents to several individuals and destroyed printed copies. Rahman also destroyed several electronic devices, including his personal mobile phone and internet modem, which he used to transmit classified information, discarding their remnants in public trash bins. The documents, which were published on the Telegram messaging app, included information about Israel's preparations for a potential attack on Iran, but did not specify any particular targets. According to the Washington Post, these documents, prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the United States, contained details of air exercises and ammunition movements at an Israeli airbase. The disclosure of this information led Israeli officials to delay their retaliatory attack on positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian government launched a wave of ballistic missile attacks toward Israel on October 1, 2024, in response to the killing of several senior officials of Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel also responded later that month with attacks on military targets in Iran. 'Matthew Olsen,' Assistant Attorney General of the United States, stated in a press release: 'Mr. Rahman violated the trust of the American people by unlawfully sharing classified defense information that he had sworn to protect.' His final sentence is set to be issued on May 15. The detention of the suspect in the case of the leak of classified information regarding the Israeli attack on Iran has been extended. A U.S. government employee has been accused of leaking classified documents regarding Israel's attack on Iran.