Ex-NASA scientist arrested in FBI sting

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A former NASA scientist was arrested during a sting operation for allegedly trying to pass along secrets to Israel, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Officials said Stewart Nozette was arrested Monday at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington by FBI counterespionage agents after he believed he was meeting with agents from the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, to pass information for cash, ABC News reported.

Nozette, 52, had been under investigation for some time, said an FBI affidavit and court records involving his firm, the Alliance for Competitive Technology. When traveling overseas in January 2009, a security check of Nozette's bags indicated he had two computer thumb drives. However, he didn't have the drives on his return trip, the government said.

The investigation heightened in September 2009 when Nozette was approached by an undercover FBI agent who said he worked for Mossad, ABC reported Monday. During the meeting, Nozette indicated he would work for Israeli intelligence and provide them information.

Nozette is best known for his work on the lunar Mini-RF probe that recently helped check for the presence of water on the moon.