An American Soldier Arrested for Attempting to Share Secret Information About US Army Tank with Russia
An American soldier has been arrested on charges of attempting to share secret information about the US Army’s Abrams tank with Russia, prosecutors said.
Accusations and Charges
The justice department accused Taylor Adam Lee, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, of passing an SD card with sensitive information to a Russian official. Mr Lee, who held a top secret security clearance, has been charged under the Espionage Act. Prosecutors allege he sought to exchange the classified information in return for Russian citizenship.
Brigadier General’s Statement
“This arrest is an alarming reminder of the serious threat facing our U.S. Army,” Brigadier General Sean F Stinchon of Army Counterintelligence Command said in a statement.
Court Appearance and Additional Charges
Mr Lee, 22, who was taken into custody on Wednesday morning, appeared in a federal court the same day. In addition to espionage charges, he is also facing charges under the US Arms Export Control Act.
Allegations of Meeting with Russian Official
Prosecutors allege Mr Lee met a representative of the Russian government in July, and sought to share US defence information. He allegedly expressed his willingness to assist the Russian federation and discussed providing specific hardware used inside the Abrams tank. On July 31, he allegedly delivered the hardware to a storage unit in El Paso, Texas, and sent a text message saying “Mission accomplished” to the Russian representative.
Legal Representation
It is unclear if Mr Lee is being represented by an attorney, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Source: BBC
