US National Security Agency confirms arrest of contractor charged with removing classified information

FEARING another Snowden case, the US National Security Agency has arrested one of its own contractors on charges that he removed classified information.

A National Security Agency office, pictured in 2006. The agency confirmed one of its contractors had been arrested in August, accused of removing classified information. Picture: AFP / Paul J Richards

A CONTRACTOR for the National Security Agency has been arrested on charges that he illegally removed highly classified information and stored the material in his house and car, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, was arrested by the FBI in August after authorities say he admitted to having taken government secrets. His lawyer said Martin did not intend to betray his country.

The arrest was not made public until Wednesday, when the Justice Department released a five-page criminal complaint that accused Martin of having been in possession of top-secret information.

Among the classified documents found with Martin, according to the FBI, were six that contain sensitive intelligence — meaning they were produced through sensitive government sources or methods that are critical to national security — and date back to 2014. All the documents were clearly marked as classified information, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint does not specify what documents Martin was alleged to have taken. The arrest was made around the same time that US officials acknowledged an investigation into a cyber leak of purported hacking tools used by the NSA. The tool kit consists of malicious software intended to tamper with firewalls, the electronic defences protecting computer networks. Those documents were leaked by a group calling itself the “Shadow Brokers.”

White House press secretary Josh Earnest. Picture: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

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The arrest could turn into another embarrassment for the US intelligence community. It would be the second case of an intelligence worker illegally removing secret data from the NSA in recent years. The agency monitors and collects sensitive information and data, mostly from overseas.

At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said President Barack Obama takes the situation “quite seriously. And it is a good reminder for all of us with security clearances about how important it is for us to protect sensitive national security information.”

The New York Times first reported the arrest of an NSA contractor who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton. The complaint does not identify the agency Martin worked for as a contractor, but a US official familiar with the investigation confirmed it was the NSA. Booz Allen said in a statement that after learning of the arrest of one of its employees, it reached out to law enforcement authorities to offer its co-operation and fired the worker.

At Martin’s home, investigators found stolen property valued at “well in excess of $1000,” the complaint said. He voluntarily agreed to an interview.

Harold Thomas Martin III’s house in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Picture: AP/Jose Luis Magana

“Martin at first denied, and later when confronted with specific documents, admitted he took documents and digital files from his work assignment to his residence and vehicle that he knew were classified,” according to the complaint, despite not having the authorisation to do so. “Martin stated that he knew what he had done was wrong and that he should not have done it because he knew it was unauthorised.”

Martin has been in custody since a court appearance in August, when he was arrested.

“There is no evidence that Hal Martin intended to betray his country,” his public defenders, James Wyda and Deborah Boardman, said in a statement.

“What we do know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. He served honourably as a lieutenant in the United States Navy, and he has devoted his entire career to serving his country. We look forward to defending Hal Martin in court.”

Greg Mickley, who lives several houses down from Martin, said his family was barbecuing on a Saturday afternoon in August when they heard a loud bang.

“They threw, we’re guessing, a flashbang (stun grenade) in his house and raided and went in the house, and they were there for 11 hours — in and out, and they had him outside in cuffs,” Mickley said, recalling the afternoon of the arrest.

Speaking at a cybersecurity conference on Wednesday, the Justice Department’s top national security official, Assistant Attorney General John Carlin, confirmed the arrest of “an individual who’s involved in taking classified information.” He said the arrest generally pointed to the threat posed by insiders.

The complaint charges Martin with unauthorised removal and retention of classified materials, which carries a maximum one-year sentence, and theft of government property — an offence punishable by up to 10 years.

US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden pictured in 2013. Picture: AFP / Channel 4

In 2013, NSA contractor Edward Snowden stole substantial classified information from NSA. He leaked the records to journalists, revealing the agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ phone records.

The disclosures sparked off a fierce debate that pit civil libertarians concerned about privacy against more hawkish politicians fearful about losing tools to combat terrorism. Democrats and libertarian-leaning Republicans pushed through a reauthorisation of the USA Patriot Act last year that ended the program.

Snowden fled to Hong Kong, then Russia, to avoid being arrested, though he does face criminal charges in the United States. Snowden now wants a presidential pardon because he says he helped his country by revealing secret domestic surveillance programs.

After news broke of Martin’ arrest, Snowden tweeted:

Am I correct in reading they didn't charge him under the Espionage Act? Under this administration, that's a noteworthy absence.

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) October 5, 2016

The Justice Department could, however, still bring new or additional charges in a grand jury indictment.