Former CIA Analyst Pleads Guilty to Stealing, Posting Classified Information on Israeli Strike

A former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) pleaded guilty to stealing and posting top secret information about Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran. 

Prosecutors say Asif William Rahman stole the documents, photographed them, and sent them to individuals not entitled to receive them. The documents, which purportedly showed Israel’s plans for a retaliatory strike against Iran, appeared on multiple social media sites complete with classification markings on October 17, 2024. 

The documents were from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and reportedly described aviation exercises and movements of munition carts on an Israeli airfield that were consistent with preparations for a strike. No images were included according to U.S. officials. 

The 34-year-old Rahman worked at the CIA for six years and held a top-secret clearance. 

He was arrested after law enforcement traced the downloads to his workstation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

“Mr. Rahman betrayed the trust of the American people by unlawfully sharing classified national defense information he swore an oath to protect,” said then Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

“This is a good reminder to all clearance holders that the FBI and our Intelligence Community partners will spare no resource to immediately find and hold accountable those who violate the law and disclose classified information without authorization, no matter where in the world they are located,” said Assistant Director David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office.

Prosecutors say Rahman tried to conceal the crime by creating a false narrative around his activities and deleting writings expressing his views on U.S. policy. The suspect also destroyed personal electronic devices and an internet router, throwing the devices in a public trash can.  

Court documents say the suspect had also been swiping other classified information starting in the spring of 2024. 

Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of transmission of national defense information after initially maintaining his innocence. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025, at federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for both counts.

The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation.