Former CIA officer accused of terror leaks

A former CIA officer who told reporters he participated in the interrogation of terrorist Abu Zubaydah has been charged with leaking classified secrets about CI...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – A former CIA officer who told reporters he participated in the interrogation of terrorist Abu Zubaydah has been charged with leaking classified secrets about CIA operatives and other information to reporters.

Forty-seven-year-old John Kiriakou of Arlington was charged with violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act and the Espionage Act. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutors launched the investigation after defense lawyers filed a classified legal brief in 2009 that included details that had never been provided by the government. Authorities concluded that Kiriakou had leaked the information to reporters, and that reporters had provided the information to the defense.

The charges also state that Kiriakou leaked information about the identity of another CIA officer who participated in Zubaydah’s interrogation.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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