Former CIA Employee From Vienna Pleads Guilty After Leaking Classified Israel Plan

VIENNA, VA — A former CIA analyst from Vienna pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to sharing classified national defense information about Israel, leading to social media posts.

Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, had been an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had a top secret security clearance with access to the federal government's Sensitive Compartmented Information. Prosecutors believe Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified national defense documents, including top security level documents. He took the documents to his residents and attempted to conceal the source and his activity. According to court documents, he shared classified information with people who were not allowed to receive it.

"Asif Rahman acknowledges he betrayed the trust of his country by sharing classified information in spite of the risk to the United States and our allies," said Robert Wells, executive assistant director of the FBI's National Security Branch. "Government employees who are granted security clearances and given access to our nation's classified information must promise to protect it. Rahman blatantly violated that pledge and took multiple steps to hide his actions."

Prosecutors say on Oct. 17, 2024 Rahman accessed and printed secret documents with national defense information about a U.S. foreign ally and planned action against a foreign adversary. ABC News reported that the information was about Israel planning a strike on Iran.

After accessing the documents, Rahman took photos of them and gave them to people who were not permitted to access them. The next day, the documents appeared on social media platforms with classification markings.

After he shared the classified documents, prosecutors say Rahman took measures on his personal electronic devices to conceal his own opinions on U.S. policy and made entries with false narratives on his activity. He also destroyed multiple electronic devices, including his mobile device and an internet router he used to send the classified information and photos of classified documents. The devices were thrown out in public trash bins in an attempt to evade investigations.

"Asif Rahman is pleading guilty in federal court three months to the day that he disclosed top secret American documents in violation of his oath, his responsibility, and the law," said Jessica Aber, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who resigned on Jan. 20. "Mr. Rahman’s actions placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future."

A grand jury indicted Rahman on Nov. 7, 2024, and he was arrested by the FBI at work on Nov. 12, 2024. Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He could face up to 10 years in prison for both charges in the plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for May 25.