US soldier charged with attempt to provide Russia with battle tank info

Lee is accused of going online and offering to assistance Russian authorities successful speech for Russian citizenship.

An progressive work worker has been charged with seeking to walk delicate accusation astir the United States Army’s main conflict vessel to the Russian government, the US Justice Department has announced.

The suspect, Taylor Adam Lee, has been charged with “attempted transmission of nationalist defence accusation to a overseas adversary and attempted export of controlled method information without a license”, the Justice Department said successful a connection connected Wednesday.

Lee, a 22-year-old worker stationed astatine Fort Bliss successful Texas, has yet to participate a plea successful the charges, filed astatine the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.

John A Eisenberg, adjunct lawyer wide for nationalist security, said Lee sought to “transmit delicate nationalist defence accusation to Russia” regarding the cognition of the M1A2 Abrams – the main conflict vessel utilized by the US Army.

In June, Lee is said to person gone online and offered assistance to Russia successful speech for Russian citizenship. In the alleged messages, Lee, who holds a top-secret information clearance, allegedly “transmitted export-controlled method information” astir the M1A2’s cognition and vulnerabilities.

“The USA is not blessed with maine for trying to exposure their weaknesses,” Lee reportedly said. “At this point, I’d adjacent unpaid to assistance the Russian Federation erstwhile I’m determination successful immoderate way,” helium added.

Roman Rozhavsky, adjunct manager of the FBI’s counterintelligence division, said Lee past shared a representation paper containing documents and accusation astir the vessel and different US subject operations during an in-person gathering successful July with idiosyncratic helium believed to beryllium a Russian quality officer.

“Today’s apprehension is simply a connection to anyone reasoning astir betraying the US – particularly work members who person sworn to support our homeland,” Rozhavsky said.

The documents contained method information Lee was not authorised to provide, with immoderate marked “Controlled Unclassified Information”, according to prosecutors.

“Throughout the meeting, Lee stated that the accusation connected the SD paper was delicate and apt classified,” prosecutors said.

Lee is besides alleged to person attempted to supply the Russian authorities with a portion of hardware from the M1A2 Abrams vessel astatine a July 31 gathering astatine a retention portion successful El Paso, Texas.

“After doing so, Lee sent a connection to the idiosyncratic helium believed to beryllium a typical of the Russian authorities stating, ‘Mission accomplished’,” according to prosecutors.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies