美国司法部宣布，国防情报局(Defense Intelligence Agency)雇用的一名IT专家周四被捕，并被指控试图向一个友好的外国政府提供机密信息。
美国联邦调查局表示，在收到他主动向外国政府提供机密信息的举报后，它于3月份开始对28岁的内森·拉茨奇进行调查，因为根据举报人的说法，拉茨奇不“同意或符合本届政府的价值观”，并愿意分享“完整的情报产品，一些未经处理的情报和其他各类机密文件”
法庭文件中没有提到Laatsch被指控试图联系的国家。
在与一名伪装成外国使者的美国联邦调查局卧底特工的通信中，Laatsch被指控在三天时间内将机密信息转录到他办公桌上的记事本中，他告诉该特工他准备提供这些信息。
根据提交给美国弗吉尼亚州东区地方法院的一份宣誓书，Laatsch工作的DIA设施内的视频显示，他写了多页笔记，他将笔记折叠成正方形，藏在袜子里。
根据证词，另一名DIA雇员看到Laatsch在他的午餐盒底部放了多页笔记本。
根据指控文件，美国联邦调查局随后在5月1日开展了一项行动，其中拉阿奇同意通过拇指驱动器将机密信息放在弗吉尼亚州北部一个公园的指定地点。
据称，该硬盘包含了被指定为机密和绝密级别的信息。大约一周后，Laatsch联系了代理人，并表示他对这个未命名国家的公民身份感兴趣，因为他不“期望这里的事情从长远来看会有所改善。”
据称，Laatsch随后再次试图准备机密信息提供给特工，在周四早些时候的一次行动中，他到达了弗吉尼亚州北部的一个地点，并在那里被拘留。
Laatsch被捕之际，现任和前任情报官员更广泛地担心，获得高价值机密信息的个人可能会利用英特尔社区目前的混乱和恐慌，试图向外国政府出售信息以获取利润。
根据法庭文件，Laatsch于2019年8月被国防情报局聘用，最近在该局的内部威胁部门担任数据科学家和信息安全IT专家。
网上法庭记录还没有列出Laatsch的律师。
Intelligence agency IT specialist charged with attempting to provide classified information to foreign government
An IT specialist employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government, the Justice Department announced.
The FBI said it began an investigation into 28-year-old Nathan Laatsch in March after receiving a tip he offered to provide classified information to a foreign government because -- according to the tipster -- Laatsch did not "agree or align with the values of this administration" and was willing to share "completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation."
The foreign country Laatsch is accused of trying to contact is not identified in court documents.
In communications with an undercover agent with the FBI, posing as an emissary of the foreign country, Laatsch is alleged to have transcribed classified information into a notepad at his desk over a three-day period that he told the agent he was ready to provide.
Video from inside the DIA facility where Laatsch worked showed him writing multiple pages of notes, which he folded into squares and hid in his socks, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Another DIA employee saw Laatsch placing multiple notebook pages in the bottom of his lunchbox, according to the affidavit.
The FBI then conducted an operation on May 1 in which Laatsch agreed to drop the classified information via thumb drive at a designated spot in a public park in northern Virginia, according to the charging documents.
The drive allegedly contained information that was designated at both the Secret and Top Secret classification levels. Laatsch contacted the agent roughly a week later and said he was interested in citizenship to the unnamed country because he did not "expect things here to improve in the long term."
Laatsch again then allegedly attempted to prepare classified information to provide to the agent and in an operation earlier Thursday, he arrived at a location in northern Virginia where he was taken into custody.
Laatsch's arrest comes amid broader concern among current and former intelligence officials that individuals with access to high-value classified information may use the current moment of disarray and consternation in the intel community to try and sell information to foreign governments for profit.
Laatsch, who was hired by the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2019, most recently worked as a data scientist and IT specialist for information security in the agency's Insider Threat Division, according to court documents.
Online court records do not yet list an attorney for Laatsch.
