The United States has accused a former military intelligence analyst with attempting to spy for Iraq, Libya and China. On Thursday, a federal grand jury indicted retired Air Force Master Sergeant Brian Regan on three counts of attempted espionage and one count of gathering national defense information, according to media reports.
Prosecutors claim Regan drafted letters to Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein and Libya’s President Muammar Gadhafi, in which he offered to hand over secret data for $13 million. U.S. officials declined to say whether Regan actually sent either letter.
Prosecutors say that Regan's letter to the Iraqis said he felt he deserved more money than his pension would provide. AP reports he was at least $53,000 in debt.
In addition, Regan was charged with attempted espionage last year and pleaded innocent.
Two of the four new charges could result in the death penalty. An arraignment will take place Friday in Alexandria.
U.S. officials say Regan worked at the National Reconnaissance Office, which is responsible for U.S. spy satellites. The secrets he offered to share were termed as having to do with such matters as satellites, early-warning systems, communications information, and defense against large-scale attacks.
Prosecutors say he aroused suspicion at work by searching continuously in a classified network for information unrelated to his specific job.
In August, he was detained, as he was about to board a flight to Zurich. In his wallet, federal agents found the addresses for Chinese and Iraqi embassies in Europe, as well as some classified information. (Albawaba.com)
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