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A CIA analyst was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison Wednesday for leaking classified documents detailing Israel's retaliatory strike plans against Iran, according to court records.
Asif Rahman, 34, appeared before U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Virginia federal court after pleading guilty to charges of transmitting national defense information. The American citizen had worked for the CIA since 2016.
Judge Giles emphasized the sensitivity of the leaked materials during sentencing. "Our intelligence community has the responsibility to keep our nation safe, and when things are done that somehow jeopardize that trust, it puts all of us at risk," she said.
Rahman's defense attorneys had requested a sentence of one year and one month, arguing their client had "no intent to harm the United States or its interests" and was psychologically affected by events during his Middle East assignment in 2023.
"I broke the oath I took when I joined the CIA, and I disappointed my colleagues and the American people," Rahman said in his defense statement.
The leaked documents revealed Israel's military preparations for retaliatory strikes following Iran's missile attacks on Oct. 1, 2024. Rahman admitted to accessing and printing two classified documents about Israel's retaliation plans, taking them to his residence, and later digitally transmitting them to "numerous people he knew had no right to receive them."
Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on Nov. 13 and transported through Guam to Virginia. The leak came to light after the classified information was shared on a Telegram channel.
Initially denying two separate charges of transmitting national defense information, Rahman changed his plea to guilty during proceedings in January.
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