ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A former analyst for the CIA admitted guilt on Friday for leaking sensitive information regarding a prospective Israeli military action against Iran.
Asif Rahman, aged 34, was taken into custody by the FBI in November, shortly after classified materials were discovered on the Telegram messaging platform. In a federal court in Virginia, he acknowledged two charges of willfully retaining and transmitting classified information pertaining to national defense, each potentially carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Rahman, who had been with the CIA since 2016, misused his clearance to access, extract, and print two top-secret documents concerning Israel’s military considerations regarding Iran. He then disseminated this information to individuals without the proper authorization.
The leaked documents surfaced on Telegram in October and were linked to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. They detailed Israel’s ongoing preparations for a military response following Iran’s ballistic missile attack on October 1.
In a retaliatory move, Israel launched strikes on Iran’s air defense systems and missile factories in late October. Court documents indicate that the information leak resulted in Israel postponing its military operations.
The classified materials were meant to be shared only among the “Five Eyes,” an intelligence alliance that includes the United States, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Rahman’s background includes being born in California before relocating to Cincinnati as a child, where he excelled academically and became valedictorian of his high school. He attended Yale University, completing his studies in just three years. He now resides in the D.C. metro area with his wife and parents.
