WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- A Defense Department analyst was arrested Wednesday on charges of disclosing classified information related to potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
An FBI affidavit said only that Lawrence Franklin disclosed the information to two individuals not entitled to such information while at lunch in Arlington, Va., in 2003. He asked the individuals not to use the information, the affidavit said.
But published reports said Franklin was being investigated for allegedly passing classified information to Israel via the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Franklin, of Kearneysville, W.Va., surrendered to the FBI in Washington. A criminal complaint filed Tuesday was unsealed Wednesday. The charge carries a maximum 10 years in prison if convicted.
The Justice Department said Franklin is a Defense employee who worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs, Office of Near East and South Asia, Office of Northern Gulf Affairs, Iran Desk, and held held a "Top Secret" security clearance and access to classified information until that clearance was suspended on June 30, 2004.
