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Asif William Rahman Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Israeli Strike Plans on Iran, Faces Up to 10 Years

Jan 17, 2025, 06:54 PM

Asif William Rahman, a former CIA analyst who worked at the agency since 2016 and held a Top Secret clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, has pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified documents detailing Israel's military preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran. The documents, which Rahman accessed and printed on October 17, 2024, were subsequently posted on social media platforms. Rahman, stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, admitted to transmitting the information to individuals not authorized to receive it. His actions led to the delay of the Israeli attack. Following the leak, Rahman deleted approximately 1.5 gigabytes of data from his personal folder in the Top Secret system and was arrested in Cambodia. He faces up to 10 years in prison for two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to national defense, with sentencing scheduled for May 15, 2025.