Former CIA analyst Asif William Rahman will serve over three years in prison for leaking classified Israeli military plans against Iran, potentially compromising national security and forcing Israel to delay crucial operations.
At a Glance
- Asif William Rahman, a former CIA analyst with top-secret clearance, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for leaking classified documents about Israeli military plans against Iran
- Rahman accessed, printed, and transmitted top-secret satellite images from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency while working at the US Embassy in Cambodia
- The leaked documents appeared on social media platforms including Telegram by October 18, 2024, forcing Israel to delay planned military operations
- Rahman faced up to 20 years in prison but received a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information
- The case highlights growing concerns about insider threats to America’s intelligence community and national security
Betrayal of National Trust
A former CIA analyst with an impressive academic background has been sentenced to prison after compromising sensitive military information about a key American ally. Asif William Rahman, 34, a Yale graduate who joined the CIA in 2016, received a 37-month prison sentence for illegally accessing, retaining, and sharing top-secret documents detailing Israeli military preparations for strikes against Iran. Rahman’s actions occurred during a period of heightened tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s launch of nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in early October 2024.
Rahman, who held a top-secret security clearance until his arrest in November 2024, accessed and printed two classified documents on October 17 while working at the US Embassy in Cambodia. Within a day, these highly sensitive materials appeared on social media platforms, including Telegram, revealing details about Israeli aviation exercises, military movements, and satellite imagery of an Israeli base. The leaked intelligence forced Israeli officials to delay their planned retaliatory strikes against Iran, potentially endangering operations and American interests.
Failed Cover-Up Attempt
After transmitting the classified information to “multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them,” Rahman attempted to conceal his crimes through a series of desperate measures. Court documents reveal that he deleted work products, destroyed electronic devices, and shredded original documents “in an attempt to conceal their source and delete his activity.” These efforts proved futile as FBI investigators identified, tracked, and arrested Rahman in Cambodia on November 12, 2024, where he has remained in custody since.
“For months, this defendant betrayed the American people and the oaths he took upon entering his office by leaking some of our Nation’s most closely held secrets.”, said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.
While facing potential penalties of up to 20 years behind bars, Rahman ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information. During proceedings, he cited “family-related grief” and trauma from a previous assignment in Iraq as contributing factors to his actions, though he accepted responsibility for the security breach that compromised intelligence regarding “a United States foreign ally and its planned kinetic actions against a foreign adversary.”
National Security Implications
The Rahman case underscores the persistent and growing threat of insider breaches within America’s intelligence apparatus. The leaked documents appeared during a particularly volatile period when Iran had just launched a massive missile attack against Israel on October 1, reportedly in retaliation for the killings of senior figures in Hamas and Hezbollah. Israel eventually conducted strikes on military targets in Iran in late October, but only after being forced to adjust their operations due to the compromise of their military planning.
“By stealing and divulging classified information and then attempting to conceal his crimes, Asif Rahman not only violated the law; he also betrayed his oath as a government employee and his responsibility to the American people.”, Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division stated.
Federal officials have emphasized that this case demonstrates the government’s commitment to vigorously prosecuting security breaches that threaten American interests and relationships with allies. Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stated that the swift identification, arrest, and prosecution of Rahman “should serve as a stern warning to those who choose to place their own goals over their allegiance to our nation.” The Department of Justice has pledged to continue investigating and prosecuting similar violations within the U.S. intelligence community.
