Defense Dept. Contractor Arrested With Dozens of Classified Documents

Politics|Defense Dept. Contractor Arrested With Dozens of Classified Documents

A Defense Department contractor was arrested connected Friday with dozens of highly classified documents helium had obtained utilizing his information clearance, arsenic helium prepared to depart for a travel to Mexico, according to prosecutors.

The contractor, Gokhan Gun, an electrical technologist calved successful Turkey who present lives successful a Virginia suburb of Washington, printed thousands of documents astatine his enactment for the Air Force. Many were unclassified, but immoderate were “batches of documents from the apical concealed network,” according to an 11-page ailment unsealed successful a Virginia national court.

Mr. Gun is charged with illegally obtaining and retaining nationalist defence secrets.

The lawsuit is 1 of respective instances successful caller years successful which soldiers and civilians moving for the subject improperly retained subject secrets. In March, a young Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, Jack Teixeira, accused of posting concealed quality reports online, pleaded guilty successful speech for a 16-year condemnation and an statement to papers his activities to the authorities.

Investigators are inactive trying to find wherefore Mr. Gun, who became an American national successful 2021, hoarded truthful galore documents. He nonchalantly carried them retired of his bureau successful rolled-up wads successful integrative buying bags, according to a instrumentality enforcement authoritative briefed connected the case.

Mr. Gun, who often travels overseas and owns homes successful Virginia, Texas and Florida, was taken into custody aboriginal Friday by F.B.I. agents who arrived to execute a hunt warrant astatine his location successful Falls Church, Va. He was preparing to permission for what helium described arsenic a sportfishing travel with friends, intending to committee a formation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, that near astatine 6:52 a.m.

Agents confronted him successful his driveway arsenic helium awaited a thrust stock driver. Among his luggage they recovered a achromatic backpack that contained a papers marked apical concealed and a listing of his information clearances.