CIA Sues Ex-Spy Over Two-Year Old Book

By Matthew Cole

A CIA lawsuit threatens to turn a little-known two-year-old tell-all by a disgruntled former spy into a bestseller. Within hours of the lawsuit's filing Tuesday, "The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture," had rocketed up the Amazon rankings.

"The Human Factor," written by an ex-agent using the pseudonym Ishmael Jones, went largely unnoticed when it was first published in July 2008. But within hours of the lawsuit's filing Tuesday, the book had vaulted up the Amazon rankings.

In the book, "Jones" charges the CIA with waste, fraud and abuse as he details his career over two decades working under non-official cover, or NOC, mainly in Europe.

The CIA said in a statement that Jones was being sued for breaking his secrecy agreement and for not allowing the agency's publication review process to "run its course." The agency is seeking any money Jones received for the publication or sales of the book.

The suit, which does not allege that Jones revealed any classified information, raises questions about why the agency would bring a case two years after publication and where both sides agree no sensitive secrets were revealed.

A check Tuesday revealed the book ranked 143,379 on Amazon sales list, but within hours of the CIA's announcement of the lawsuit, the ranking shot up to 659. It had risen all the way to 24 by Wednesday morning.

"CIA officers are duty-bound to observe the terms of their secrecy agreement with the Agency," Director Leon Panetta said. "This lawsuit clearly reinforces that message."

"I think it's a simple case of going after a whistle-blower who is trying to expose government waste and fraud," said Jones in an email. Jones chose to publish the book using a false name, and changed the names of all covert employees mentioned in the book.

Steven Aftergood, an expert on government secrecy said the lawsuit is a mistake, but an action the CIA had to make to maintain its authority over its employees.

"If you look at this from a strictly National security policy point of view," Aftergood said, "This is a bone-headed move. You'll make an obscure book by an unknown author into a national news story."

But Aftergood said the agency's real aim is internal discipline. "The government is not simply concerned about protecting secrets. It is also concerned about Jones' overt defiance of established security rules."

 

Operation Dark Heart

The CIA's action also echoes the recent censoring of a former Army intelligence officer who published a book about the war in Afghanistan. In that case, the Department of Defense purchased and destroyed 10,000 copies -- the entire first run -- before a new, redacted version was printed. The book, "Operation Dark Heart," by Lt. Col Anthony Shaffer, began selling briskly and is currently number seven on the New York Times bestseller list. Shaffer and his publisher, St. Martin's Press, credit the publicity stemming from the Pentagon's efforts to censor the book for the sales.

Jones' book details his 20-year career as an NOC, and describes a bloated organization plagued by fraud, waste and bureaucratic lethargy. But the book never reveals the countries Jones lived or worked in, or the names of other agents or co-workers.

A spokeswoman for the CIA said that despite the potential to boost sales for the book, the CIA had to take a stand against Jones. "There's principle involved here. Intelligence officers need to understand their solemn obligation to protect our nation's secrets. People can make judgments about the quality of the book -- or lack thereof -- themselves."

Oddly, if the agency were to win its suit and the book continued to sell, the CIA would be given the profits.

Jones and other former CIA officers have complained in the past that the CIA's publication review consistently favors former spies who tell stories flattering to the agency. Jones suggested that the antipathy towards the book focused on his message, a sharp critique of the CIA.

In the book's forward about why he chose to publish before getting the CIA's approval, Jones claimed that two recent books by high ranking CIA officials, including one by former director George Tenet, revealed "startling amount[s] of classified information."

"These books criticize the President, however, and not the organization."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/cia-sues-spy...

Report: US Contractors Hired Iranian Spies, Taliban, Warlords To Guard US Troops In

By MATTHEW COLE

A scathing Senate report says US contractors in Afghanistan have hired warlords, "thugs," Taliban commanders and even Iranian spies to provide security at vulnerable US military outposts in Afghanistan.

The report, published by the Senate Armed Services Committee, says lax oversight and "systemic failures" have led to "grave risks' to US forces, including instances where contractors have employed Afghan subcontractors who were "linked to murder, kidnapping and bribery, as well as Taliban and anti-coalition activities."

The chairman of the committee, Sen. Carl Levin, D.-Michigan, said the report was evidence that the US needs to reduce its reliance on contractors.

"We need to shut off the spigot of US dollars flowing into the pockets of warlords and power brokers who act contrary to our interests," said Sen. Levin.

The committee reviewed roughly 125 unclassified Department of Defense security contracts between 2007 and 2009, and found that there are some 26,000 private security contractors operating in Afghanistan, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals. The review found "systemic failures" of the military oversight for contracts, including the hiring of what Levin called "many too many" security contractors who had been improperly vetted, improperly trained or were not provided weapons.

In some cases, companies were awarded contracts though they had no ability to provide the services needed. In those cases, companies then quickly hired local nationals without proper vetting or security checks. The chaotic system left US facilities and personnel vulnerable to attack. The report found that some Afghan security guards simply walked off their posts at remote forward operating bases.

Contractor Allegedly Hired Iranian Spies

In two specific cases, the report charges that ArmorGroup and a contracting company EODT, hired private security guards who worked for Taliban-connected warlords. According to the report, a US military official initially recommended that ArmorGroup hire the warlord to help provide guards to fulfill a contract. After US military officials at a Western Afghanistan airbase discovered that Afghan security guards were passing sensitive security and troop information to the Taliban, the guards were fired.

Within days, the fired guards were hired by a second contractor to supply security at a second US facility just a few miles north, the report claims. EODT, the report alleges, had two Afghans on their payroll who were known to US military intelligence as Iranian agents.

The report describes a chaotic warzone where security contracts bordered on the absurd. In some instances, Senate staffers said on background, guards were not given weapons or were provided with defective weapons. Some Afghan contractors assigned to Afghan police training centers were paid more than the recruits, resulting in the police trainees quitting and going to work as private security for the base. In one case, a Marine lance corporal was killed by an Afghan insurgent who was employed as a private security contractor on a US military contract.

The report did not make any recommendations to the Pentagon about how to curtail the abuses and violations discovered in the investigation, but Sen. Levin was adamant that the US military has too many private security contractors in Afghanistan.

"Our reliance on private security contractors in Afghanistan has too often empowered local warlords and powerbrokers who operate outside the Afghan government's control and act against coalition interests," Levin said. "The situation threatens the security of our troops and puts the success of our mission at risk."

ArmorGroup did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

EODT noted in a statement to ABC News that while it had only had the chance to preliminarily review the Senate report, it had cooperated fully in the investigation, and that its contract required EODT "to utilize Afghan personnel and specifically those from the area surrounding the contract location." EODT also said local leaders had provided help in hiring Afghans, and that those leaders "were persons made known to EODT by the U.S. military or were commonly known leaders within that area."

"While the [report] may present certain criticisms of EODT's hiring practices," said the statement, "EODT has never been advised by the U.S. military that problems of this nature exist. However, just as EODT has cooperated fully with the [Senate Armed Services Committee] investigation, EODT stands ready to engage the U.S. military or other stakeholders about these issues in order to improve our internal processes and contract performance."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/us-contracto...

$9 Billion in Iraq Reconstruction Funds Missing

By MATTHEW COLE

In a little noticed report last week, a US auditor concluded that $8.7 billion in reconstruction aid to Iraq is unaccounted for by the Department of Defense. With Iraq struggling financially as the US withdraws, the vanished money has become a symbol of the dysfunctional American-led rebuilding effort.

According to the report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, known as SIGIR, as much as 96 percent of the $9 billion provided by the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) for reconstruction cannot be properly accounted for, noting that poor management and lack of regulations have led to the missing funds. For fully $2.6 billion of the missing funds, there is no paperwork at all.

Although SIGIR did conduct criminal investigations, which led to eight convictions for bribery, fraud, and money laundering, the report does not suggest that the bulk of the $8.7 billion was stolen.

Critics of the military's management said they were troubled by the sheer size of the figures and how much of the money could not be traced to any records of any kind.

"Was the money funneled? Did it end up in the hands of the Iraqi insurgency? This isn't the best advertisement for US government management," said Scott Amey, general counsel for the Project on Government Oversight, a non-partisan watchdog group.

The DFI was created in 2003 by the United Nations with Iraqi money from a combination of oil revenue, previously frozen assets and left over funds in the UN's oil for food program. After the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Iraqi government allowed the US military to manage the dispersal of the DFI funds in an effort expedite the reconstruction of Iraq. The US Congress gave the Iraqi government a separate $53 billion for reconstruction.

The SIGIR report noted that the US military was slow to establish rules about accounting for the money, but more significantly, "once established the guidance was not followed." The contracting was so poor, the report notes, that the US government may be "potentially liable."

Money allocated for reconstruction was originally overseen by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) until it was dissolved in 2004. Subsequently, the Iraqi government permitted the Department of Defense to administer the fund and manage contracts for reconstruction.

According to the audit, the only element of the military to provide documentation for money spent was the Army Central Command, which handled and spent roughly $400M.

"When the government cannot account for 96 percent of the money it spends on anything," said Amey, " it's very troubling."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iraq-billion...

Iran Nuke Defector Left Behind $5 Million In CIA Cash

By MATTHEW COLE

The Iranian nuclear scientist who returned to Tehran today left behind some $5 million he was promised by the CIA as part of "benefits package" offered by the CIA's National Resettlement Operations Center, US officials tell ABC News.

"Anything he got is now beyond his reach, thanks to the sanctions against Iran," one US official said. "We've got his information and the Iranians have him."

When Amiri defected, the CIA offered him $5 million for information about the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Typically, the CIA places these kinds of funds in escrow so that an informant is only paid bit by bit, at the agency's discretion. Keeping the money in escrow prevents an asset from grabbing the money all at once.

It is unknown how much money Amiri was able to collect prior to his return to Iran, but the bulk of the cash remains in US hands. "He's gone," said the US official, "but the money's still here."

As early as this spring, CIA officials believed that Amiri, who fled Iran last year in a daring operation, might not want to stay in the US and could redefect. Amiri, who turned up at an Iranian government office in Washington, D.C. on Monday and asked to return to Iran, arrived back in Tehran Wednesday.

Despite the seeming suddenness of Amiri's decision to return to Iran after years working as a CIA asset and more than a year of resettlement in the US, the CIA began to sense he may not have wanted to come out of Iran, despite the offer of $5 million and resettlement in the United States.

According to current and former US intelligence officials briefed on the Amiri case, the CIA began pressuring Amiri to flee Iran as early as 2008. It was then, the officials say, that the CIA feared that Amiri was under suspicion of spying for the Americans.

The CIA was afraid of losing their source. Certain that the Iranian government would execute Amiri for treason, the agency suggested to Amiri that he should flee Iran.

Amiri, however, told his CIA handlers that he was safe and that the Iranian government did not have any reason to know he was giving information about the Iranian nuclear program to the U.S. Amiri stalled the CIA by telling his handlers that twice he tried to escape on his own but had failed.

Amiri May Have Been Unprepared to Leave Iran

Eventually, the officials say, CIA pressure wore Amiri down and he agreed to leave Iran. But looking back, the CIA now believes Amiri's story that he had tried to escape on his own may have been false, and the first sign that he was not psychologically ready to leave for the US.

To entice Amiri, the CIA offered him $5 million and offered to get him and his wife and son out of Tehran and resettle them in the U.S, as the CIA commonly does for important defectors. The money, officials say, was not given up front, but was to be distributed incrementally over the course of his life.

Amiri agreed to take the money and offer of resettlement, but told the CIA he would leave his family behind. When asked why he would go alone, Amiri told the CIA he disliked his wife and felt that his son would be better off in Iran believing his father had disappeared, according to the officials briefed on the matter.

The CIA then arraigned for Amiri to take a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, where, with the help Saudi intelligence, Amiri would be whisked out of the Middle East and resettled in the US. The plan was to make Amiri disappear with no clues as to where Amiri had gone, but within weeks the Iranian government accused the U.S. of kidnapping their scientist. Amiri's wife and family reportedly protested outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

Once Amiri arrived in the U.S. he was debriefed by top government experts on Iran's nuclear program and the process of resettlement. According to one former intelligence official, Amiri was moved to Tucson, Arizona by a little known division inside the CIA called the National Resettlement Operations Center, or NROC. The Center facilitates a witness protection like process that settles defectors and foreign agents across the country. Once moved in, defectors are typically visited by NROC officers every few weeks. Otherwise, they are free to live their new life.

In Amiri's case, the resettlement was rocky and he began to long for his son. Sometime this spring, in a moment of weakness, Amiri called home. The CIA, while continually testing and examining Amiri to ensure he was not a double agent, began to reexamine his case after the call home. That fateful phone call set off a chain of events that finally ended yesterday when Amiri landed in Tehran and embraced his wife and son.

Iranians Threatened Amiri's Son

According to current and former US intelligence officials, Amiri disliked his wife so much he purposefully called a brother-in-law in an effort to speak to his son and refused to speak with his wife.

On a later, second call, Amiri's brother-in-law answered the phone and then handed it to Iranian intelligence officials. According to the officials, the Iranians threatened to hurt Amiri's son if Amiri did not agree to tape an internet testimonial. Amiri agreed, and gave a series of statements claiming he had been drugged, kidnapped and tortured by the CIA and flown against his will from Saudi Arabia to the U.S.

Upon learning of Iranian threats against Amiri's son and the interview, the CIA flew to Tucson and had produced their own video. In it, Amiri tells the camera he is happily living in the U.S. as a student and that he knew nothing of the Iranian nuclear program.

But the Iranian government now had its hooks in Amiri and American officials began to accept that they may not be able to convince Amiri to stay in the US.

According to the current and former US officials, the CIA began to look back at Amiri's case and suspected he had not been psychologically prepared to leave Iran.

Amiri "wanted to see his family again," said a US official familiar with the defection. "Defectors are human beings. In this country, they make their own choices. He made up his mind; in the United States, at least, he has that right."

Amiri told Iranian television this week in an interview that the CIA offered him a "bribe" of $10 million to appear on CNN and announce that he had willingly defected the US. On his return to Tehran Wednesday, Amiri repeated his claim that the CIA had taken him against his will.

A US official today said that Iran's story of kidnapping was a "fairy tale," and said that Amiri had come to the US willingly. He also said that before he went back to Iran, Amiri had given the US "significant, original information that's checked out."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/shahram-amir...

Clinton: Iranian Nuclear Defector Is 'Free To Go'

by Matthew Cole and Kirit Radia

Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist in the middle of a high-stakes battle between Washington and Tehran, has taken refuge in a Pakistani embassy building in Washington, D.C. and will leave for Iran within the next 48 hours.

Iranian official Ali Shirazi confirmed to ABC News that Amiri is now in the Iranian interests section building, which is under the auspices of the Pakistani diplomatic mission to the U.S. A senior Pakistani official told ABC News that Amiri arrived at the Iranian building at 6:30 p.m. Monday and asked to go home. Both Iranian and Pakistani officials told ABC News that Amiri will leave the U.S. within the next 24 to 48 hours.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Amiri has been in the United States "of his own free will."

"His is free to go," said Clinton. "He was free to come. These decisions are his alone to make."

Clinton said that Amiri was actually scheduled to travel to Iran on Monday "but was unable to make all the of the necessary arrangements to reach Iran through transit countries."

Another U.S. official said Amiri's decision to return home "gives the lie to the idea he was tortured or imprisoned. He can tell any story he wants -- but that won't make it true." The official said Amiri "came to this country freely, he live there freely, and he has chosen freely to return to Iran."

While Iranian authorities claim Amiri was abducted in Saudi Arabia in 2009 and brought to the U.S. against his will, U.S. intelligence officials say Amiri defected to the U.S. voluntarily after working for several years as a CIA spy and providing crucial details about Iran's burgeoning nuclear weapons program.

According to people in the U.S. intelligence community briefed by the CIA, the Iranian government threatened to harm Amiri's family unless he returned home. He left a wife and son behind.

In two videos released at the end of June, Amiri claimed to have "escaped" U.S. intelligence and said he was on his way back to Iran.

On the videos, Amiri claimed that he escaped "U.S. intelligence officers in Virginia." He said he was now in a "safe place" but that he was in "danger and could possibly be arrested again by U.S. intelligence officers at any moment." He has also claimed that he was tortured by U.S. officials.

"In case anything happens to me or if I do not make it back home safely, the responsibility will solely rest on the officials of the United States," Amiri said in a video posted to YouTube, which was apparently recorded June 14.

After the release of the videos, a U.S. official disputed Amiri's claims.

"The guy's ability to make and release messages is clear proof that he hasn't been held in the United States against his will," said the official. "That's not the way it works -- we don't have to compel people to defect. Maybe he's just trying to build a story for the folks back home. The fact that he can say what he wants doesn't make his statements true. He's shown to the world that he has the power to make choices -- even bad ones."

The second of the two videos aired on Iranian state television, continuing the effort of Tehran to show Amiri was kidnapped and brought to the U.S. against his will.

In fact, U.S. officials say, Amiri was a key spy inside the Iranian nuclear program for several years before his defection.

Amiri's precise role in U.S. intelligence gathering remains unclear. Former and current intelligence officials told ABC News that Amiri confirmed the existence of a secret underground enrichment facility near Qom and also described him as a key source in the conclusions of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which found that Iran had suspended its nuclear weaponization program. Initially, before Amiri defected back to Iran, the same officials told ABC News that Amiri's information had contradicted the 2007 NIE finding, but further reporting indicates that was an incorrect interpretation.

CIA director Leon Panetta acknowledged in June to ABC News that the CIA no longer believed the conclusions of the 2007 NIE, saying that Tehran continues "to work on designs" for a nuclear weapon.

"I think they continue to develop their know-how," Panetta said. "They continue to develop their nuclear capability."

Iran and Nuclear Weapons

Iran's nuclear ambitions have been the subject of international debate. The Obama administration recently called for increased U.N. sanctions. Amiri, once a star scientist for the Iranian nuclear program,according to U.S. officials, has become the center of efforts of both countries to characterize Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Tehran has said that its nuclear program is for energy purposes only and denies ambitions for a nuclear weapon.

Iranian intelligence and the CIA posted dueling videos of the scientist earlier this year. In one video, Amiri claimed the U.S. kidnapped, drugged and tortured him, in the other he said he was happy to be in the U.S.

CIA officials pushed for Amiri to flee the country out of fear that his disclosures might have exposed him to Tehran as a spy.

Amiri vanished last June during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The Iranian government claimed then that their scientist, a professor at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, had been kidnapped by the CIA. In fact, say U.S. officials, the CIA, with the help of the Saudi government, whisked Amiri to the U.S., where he was to permanently resettle.

U.S. Discovered Hidden Enrichment Facilities, Video Dueling Began

A few months after Amiri arrived, the Obama Administration announced that U.S. intelligence had discovered a second, hidden nuclear enrichment facility in the Iranian city of Qom.

Then came the alleged threats by Iranian intelligence, which set off the bizarre battle of dueling videos that were released earlier this month. The first, which was broadcast on Iranian state television, shows Amiri speaking to a computer camera and announcing that the U.S. had drugged and kidnapped him and forced him to Tucson, Arizona.

He appeared to be looking down at a script as he spoke.

According to the two current U.S. officials, Amiri called home earlier this year because he missed his family. On a second call, Iranian intelligence answered and threatened to harm his son, unless he taped an internet video saying he'd been kidnapped. Amiri, fearing for his family, agreed, according to a person briefed on the case.

"He missed his son," said the person. "And he couldn't help calling home to speak to him." Within days, the CIA learned that Amiri had given the Iranians a video and moved quickly to produce a version of its own. The second video shows Amiri well-dressed and manicured with a globe - turned to North America -- and chess set behind him as he appears to read from a teleprompter. He says, in Farsi, that he is happily living in the U.S. and going to school. He also denied having worked in the Iranian nuclear program and made a plea to his wife and son. "I want them to know that I never abandoned then, and that I will always love them."

According to one U.S. official, the CIA intended to produce the video and launch it on the internet before the Iranians had a chance to air their version.

Instead, the video languished at CIA headquarters for weeks, according to a senior intelligence official. Then, in early June, Iranian state television aired the Amiri video. Within a day, the CIA posted their Amiri video on YouTube, with a user identification of "shahramamiri2010."

The Iranian government then formally requested that the U.S. government return Amiri, accusing the Americans of holding him against his will. A spokesperson for the State department acknowledged that the U.S. government received the request, but had no further comment.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iranian-nucl...

Iranian Defector: I've Escaped from CIA

By Matthew Cole

The Iranian nuclear scientist in the middle of the high stakes battle between Washington and Tehran has released two new videos, claiming to have "escaped" U.S. intelligence and says he's on his way back to Iran.

The scientist, Shahram Amiri, who, according to U.S. intelligence officials resettled in the U.S. last year after working for several years as a CIA spy, has claimed that he escaped "U.S. intelligence officers in Virginia." He says he is now in a "safe place" but that he is in "danger and could possibly be arrested again by U.S. intelligence officers at any moment."

"In case anything happens to me or if I do not make it back home safely, the responsibility will solely rest on the officials of the United States," Amiri says in a video posted to YouTube, which says was recorded June 14.

A U.S. official tried today to quickly rebuke Amiri's claims.

"The guy's ability to make and release messages is clear proof that he hasn't been held in the United States against his will, says that theory's absurd. That's not the way it works—we don't have to compel people to defect. Maybe he's just trying to build a story for the folks back home. The fact that he can say what he wants doesn't make his statements true. He's shown to the world that he has the power to make choices—even bad ones."

The latest video aired today on Iranian state television and continues the propaganda efforts of Tehran to show Amiri was kidnapped and brought to the U.S. against his will.

In fact, U.S. officials say, Amiri was a key spy inside the Iranian nuclear program for several years before his defection.

Amiri's precise role in U.S. intelligence gathering remains unclear. Former and current intelligence officials told ABC News that Amiri confirmed the existence of a secret underground enrichment facility near Qom and also described him as a key source in the conclusions of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which found that Iran had suspended its nuclear weaponization program. Initially, before Amiri defected back to Iran, the same officials told ABC News that Amiri's information had contradicted the 2007 NIE finding, but further reporting indicates that was an incorrect interpretation.

CIA director Leon Panetta acknowledged this week to ABC News that the CIA no longer believed the conclusions of the 2007 NIE, saying that Tehran continues "to work on designs" for a nuclear weapon.

"I think they continue to develop their know-how," Panetta said. "They continue to develop their nuclear capability."

Iran and Nuclear Weapons

Iran's nuclear ambitions have been the subject of international debate. The Obama administration recently called for increased U.N. sanctions. Amiri, once a star scientist for the Iranian nuclear program, according to U.S. officials, has become the center of efforts of both countries to characterize Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Tehran has said that its nuclear program is for energy purposes only and denies ambitions for a nuclear weapon.

Both the Iranian intelligence agency and the CIA have posted dueling videos of the scientist in past several weeks. In one video, Amiri claims the U.S. kidnapped, drugged and tortured him, in the other he says he is happy to be in the U.S.

Behind the scenes, the situation has become so grave that American officials fear Amiri could re-defect, according to the people briefed on the situation.

CIA officials pushed for Amiri to flee the country out of fear that his disclosures might have exposed him to Tehran as a spy.

Amiri vanished last June during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The Iranian government claimed then that their scientist, a professor at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, had been kidnapped by the CIA. In fact, say U.S. officials, the CIA, with the help of the Saudi government, whisked Amiri to the U.S., where he was to permanently resettle.

A few months after Amiri arrived, the Obama Administration announced that U.S. intelligence had discovered a second, hidden nuclear enrichment facility in the Iranian city of Qom.

Both the CIA and the White House have refused to comment on Amiri.

Complicating the defection is the fact that he left behind a wife and child. Since arriving in the U.S., and being secluded in Arizona, U.S. officials say Amiri has struggled with his decision to flee Iran.

Then came the alleged threats by Iranian intelligence, which set off the bizarre battle of dueling videos that were released earlier this month. The first, which was broadcast on Iranian state television, shows Amiri speaking to a computer camera and announcing that the U.S. had drugged and kidnapped him and forced him to Tucson, Arizona.

Competing Videos of Amiri

He appeared to be looking down at a script as he spoke.

According to the two current U.S. officials, Amiri called home earlier this year because he missed his family. On a second call, Iranian intelligence answered and threatened to harm his son, unless he taped an internet video saying he'd been kidnapped. Amiri, fearing for his family, agreed, according to a person briefed on the case.

"He missed his son," said the person. "And he couldn't help calling home to speak to him."

Within days, the CIA learned that Amiri had given the Iranians a video and moved quickly to produce a version of its own. The second video shows Amiri well-dressed and manicured with a globe - turned to North America - and chess set behind him as he appears to read from a teleprompter. He says, in Farsi, that he is happily living in the U.S. and going to school. He also denied having worked in the Iranian nuclear program and made a plea to his wife and son. "I want them to know that I never abandoned then, and that I will always love them."

According to one U.S. official, the CIA intended to produce the video and launch it on the internet before the Iranians had a chance to air their version.

Instead, the video languished at CIA headquarters for weeks, according to a senior intelligence official. Then, earlier this month, Iranian state television aired the Amiri video. Within a day, the CIA posted their Amiri video on YouTube, with a user identification of "shahramamiri2010."

The Iranian government has since formally requested the U.S. government to return Amiri, accusing the Americans of holding him against his will. A spokesperson for the State department has acknowledged that the U.S. government has received the request, but has had no further comment.

 

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iranian-defe...

US: Iran Threatens Family of Nuclear Defector Shahram Amiri`

By MATTHEW COLE

The Iranian government has threatened to harm the family of a nuclear scientist who defected to the U.S. and helped provide crucial details about Iran's burgeoning weapons program unless he returns home, according to people in the intelligence community briefed by the CIA.

The high-stakes spy saga is being played out online, where both the Iranian intelligence agency and the CIA have posted dueling videos of the scientist. In one video, he claims the U.S. kidnapped him, in the other he says he is happy to be in the U.S.

Behind the scenes, the situation has become so grave that American officials fear Amiri could re-defect, according to the people briefed on the situation. A full report on the case will be broadcast Monday on ABC's "World News with Diane Sawyer" and "Nightline."

At the center of the intrigue is Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist, who officials say operated within Iran as a key CIA spy for several years before his defection.

Amiri apparently provided crucial information, though his precise role in U.S. intelligence gathering remains unclear. Former and current intelligence officials told ABC News that Amiri confirmed the existence of a secret underground enrichment facility near Qom and also described him as a key source in the conclusions of the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate, which found that Iran had suspended its nuclear weaponization program. Initially, before Amiri defected back to Iran, the same officials told ABC News that Amiri's information had contradicted the 2007 NIE finding, but further reporting indicates that was an incorrect interpretation.

CIA director Leon Panetta told ABC News yesterday on This Week that the CIA no longer believes the conclusions of the 2007 NIE, saying that Tehran continues "to work on designs" for a nuclear weapon.

"I think they continue to develop their know-how," Panetta said. "They continue to develop their nuclear capability."

CIA officials pushed for Amiri to flee the country out of fear that his disclosures might expose him to Tehran as a spy.

Amiri vanished last year during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. The Iranian government claimed then that their scientist, a professor at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, had been kidnapped by the CIA. In fact, say U.S. officials, the CIA, with the help of the Saudi government, whisked Amiri to the U.S., where he was to permanently resettle.

Competing Amiri Videos

A few months after Amiri arrived, the Obama Administration announced that U.S. intelligence had discovered a second, hidden nuclear enrichment facility in the Iranian city of Qom.

Both the CIA and the White House have refused to comment on Amiri.

Complicating the defection is the fact that he left behind a wife and child. Since arriving in the U.S., and being secluded in Arizona, U.S. officials say Amiri has struggled with his decision to flee Iran.

Then came the alleged threats by Iranian intelligence, which set off the bizarre battle of dueling videos that were released earlier this month. The first, which was broadcast on Iranian state television, shows Amiri speaking to a computer camera and announcing that the U.S. had drugged and kidnapped him and forced him to Tucson, Arizona.

He appeared to be looking down at a script as he spoke.

According to the two current U.S. officials, Amiri called home earlier this year because he missed his family. On a second call, Iranian intelligence answered and threatened to harm his son, unless he taped an internet video saying he'd been kidnapped. Amiri, fearing for his family, agreed, according to a person briefed on the case.

"He missed his son," said the person. "And he couldn't help calling home to speak to him."

Within days, the CIA learned that Amiri had given the Iranians a video and moved quickly to produce a version of its own. The second video shows Amiri well-dressed and manicured with a globe - turned to North America - and chess set behind him as he appears to read from a teleprompter. He says, in Farsi, that he is happily living in the U.S. and going to school. He also denied having worked in the Iranian nuclear program and made a plea to his wife and son. "I want them to know that I never abandoned then, and that I will always love them."

According to one U.S. official, the CIA intended to produce the video and launch it on the internet before the Iranians had a chance to air their version.

Instead, the video languished at CIA headquarters for weeks, according to a senior intelligence official. Then, earlier this month, Iranian state television aired the Amiri video. Within a day, the CIA posted their Amiri video on YouTube, with a user identification of "shahramamiri2010."

Amiri Faces Tough Decisions

The Iranian government has since formally requested the U.S. government to return Amiri, accusing the Americans of holding him against his will. A spokesperson for the State department has acknowledged that the U.S. government has received the request, but has had no further comment.

"The United States doesn't force people to defect—that's a decision they make themselves," said a U.S. official. "Mr. Amiri wasn't kidnapped, and he certainly wasn't tortured. That's absurd. The guy has internet access and the ability to make and transmit videos. Let's get real. If you look at defectors as a group, without commenting on any particular individual, some adjust better than others, and some deal better than others with tugs and pressures from back home. But, ultimately, they make their own choices."

One Iranian defector warned that Amiri has some tough decisions ahead. Reza Kahlili, who still uses a pseudonym to protect his relatives whom he left behind in Iran, told ABC News that Amiri is likely making life or death decisions.

Defecting, Khalili said, "becomes very emotional, and at times you question your sanity and the decisions that you've made."

"If he went back…he would be tortured." Khalili said. "And then he would certainly be executed."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iran-threate...

Iran Tells U.S. to Hand Over Missing Nuke Scientist

By Kirit Radia and Matthew Cole 

The U.S. State Department said today that Iran had passed on a diplomatic note through the Swiss embassy in Tehran regarding missing nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri, who Tehran insists was abducted by the U.S. government.

"They allege in the note that we have him and they want him back," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters today. "We will respond to the diplomatic note."

Two videos of Amiri surfaced on YouTube earlier this week, one showing Amiri telling an Iranian journalist he had been abducted by the U.S., the other showing Amiri claiming to be safe and happy in the U.S.

Asked about the conflicting videos, Crowley replied, "The [second video] will not be able to tell us any more about this individual's whereabouts than the first one." The U.S. has not given any official acknowledgement of Amiri's location.

The topic of Amiri came up during what Crowley says was a previously scheduled meeting yesterday between the Swiss ambassador and Iran's foreign ministry.

Amiri, 32, has been at the center of a mystery since his disappearance on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last year. ABC News reported exclusively on March 30 that he had defected to the U.S. and was providing information about Iran's secret nuclear program, citing current and former CIA officials.

In a video posted online by Iranian television, with English subtitles, Amiri claimed he had been drugged and kidnapped and was living in Tucson, Ariz.

"Since I was abducted and brought to the U.S., I was heavily tortured and pressured by U.S. intelligence," Amiri says in Farsi.

"When I became conscious, I found myself in a plane on the way to the U.S.," he says.

Amiri claims that he was forced to lie and pretend that he had top secret information on the Iranian nuclear program so the U.S. could put "pollitical pressure" on Iran, and then asks international human rights organizations to help free him from captivity in the U.S.

Amiri, unshaven and wearing headphones, appears to be talking through a computer phone hook-up, which he says on the tape was made on April 5, one week after ABC News first reported his alleged defection to the US.

At almost the same time the first video was posted on line by Iranian television, a second video was posted on YouTube late Monday night in which Amiri appears in a professionally lit setting and says he is safe and happy to be in the United States. It is not clear who produced or posted the second video.

"I am free here and I assure everyone I am safe," he says.

Iranian Scientist in U.S. Misses Family

"My purpose in today's conversation is to put an end to all the rumors that have been leveled at me over the past year. I am Iranian and I have not taken any steps against my homeland," he says, and then asserts that his purpose in being in the US is to get a doctorate in radiation health "in order to upgrade the level of healthcare in my country and my world."

Amiri adds that he would like to share the results of his education with his people "provided that I have a chance to go back home safely."

He talks about missing his son and wife, denies that he abandoned them, and says, "I have confidence that the government of Iran will protect and watch over my family."

U.S. officials tell ABC News they consider Amiri's defection an "intelligence coup" in its continuing efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program.

CIA officials declined to publicly comment on any aspect of the case but a senior US intelligence official said "it's ridiculous to think the United States would have to compel anyone to defect and then force them to stay in this country."

Intelligence officials asked if the scientist was being held against his will, how did he have access to the internet to call Iran?

It is not uncommon for defectors to go through "psychological issues," according to an intelligence official familiar with the case.

The Iranian government says the initial video of Amiri is evidence that the United States is holding the scientist against his will.

After his disappearance, the Iranian foreign minister, Manoucher Mottaki, and Amiri's family blamed the US for kidnapping the scientist. His family had protested outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran, claiming the Saudis had played a role in Amiri's "abduction."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iran-tells-u...

Iranian Nuclear Defector Mess: Kidnapped Or Happy To Be In US?

By Matthew Cole and Brian Ross  

In a battle of the videos, an Iranian nuclear scientist claims on a segment posted on-line by Iranian television that he was drugged and kidnapped by the CIA -- but in a second video, posted on YouTube, says he is safe and happy to be in the United States.

Shahram Amiri, 32, has been at the center of a mystery since his disappearance on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia last year. ABC News reported exclusively on March 30 that he had defected to the US and was providing information about Iran's secret nuclear program, citing current and former CIA officials.

In the video posted on-line by Iranian television, with English subtitles, Amiri claimed he had been drugged and kidnapped and was living in Tucson, Arizona.

"Since I was abducted and brought to the US, I was heavily tortured and pressured by US intelligence," Amiri says in Farsi.

"When I became conscious, I found myself in a plane on the way to the US," he says.

He claims that he was forced to lie and pretend that he had top secret information on the Iranian nuclear program so the U.S. could put "pollitical pressure" on Iran, and then asks international human rights organizations to help free him from captivity in the U.S.

Amiri, unshaven and wearing headphones, appears to be talking through a computer phone hook-up, which he says on the tape was made on April 5, one week after ABC News first reported his alleged defection to the US.

At almost the same time the first video was posted on line by Iranian television, a second video was posted on YouTube late Monday night in which Amiri appears in a professionally lit setting and says he is safe and happy to be in the United States. It is not clear who produced or posted the second video.

"I am free here and I assure everyone I am safe," he says.

"My purpose in today's conversation is to put an end to all the rumors that have been leveled at me over the past year. I am Iranian and I have not taken any steps against my homeland," he says, and then asserts that his purpose in being in the US is to get a doctorate in radiation health "in order to upgrade the level of healthcare in my country and my world."

Amiri adds that he would like to share the results of his education with his people "provided that I have a chance to go back home safely."

He talks about missing his son and wife, denies that he abandoned them, and says, "I have confidence that the government of Iran will protect and watch over my family."

US officials consider Amiri's defection an "intelligence coup" in its continuing efforts to undermine Iran's nuclear program.

CIA officials declined to publicly comment on any aspect of the case but a senior US intelligence official said "it's ridiculous to think the United States would have to compel anyone to defect and then force them to stay in this country."

Intelligence officials asked if the scientist was being held against his will, how did he have access to the internet to call Iran?

It is not uncommon for defectors to go through "psychological issues," according to an intelligence official familiar with the case.

The Iranian government says the initial video of Amiri is evidence that the United States is holding the scientist against his will.

After his disappearance, the Iranian foreign minister, Manoucher Mottaki, and Amiri's family blamed the US for kidnapping the scientist. His family had protested outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran, claiming the Saudis had played a role in Amiri's "abduction."

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/iranian-nucl...

Death of Al Qaeda Number Three Is End of An Era

By Matthew Cole and Nick Schifrin

The death of Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid, al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, is one of the most significant blows to al Qaeda under the Obama administration, and brings to an end an era of jihad.

The death of Abu al Yazid, a key figure in the 9-11 attacks who was considered al Qaeda's number three leader, removes one of the organization's best-trained veterans from the field. It deprives Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al Zawahiri, of one of their few remaining close confidants, and forces al Qaeda to turn to younger, less experienced leaders.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, also known as Sheikh Sa'id, was killed late on May 21 in a CIA drone attack in the Datta Khel region of North Waziristan, according to residents of the village where he died.

Al Qaeda released a statement yesterday that eulogized al Yazid, calling him a martyr and praising his three-decade career fighting in multiple jihads. The statement said that Yazid's wife, three daughters and a granddaughter died with him; residents say the four missiles that hit the compound where he was staying also killed three Arabs and nine locals, but make no mention of Yazid's relations.

Since 9/11, American military and counterterrorism forces have killed or captured hundreds of al Qaeda operatives, including the man often cited as the original "number three," Khalid Sheikh Muhammed. A senior U.S. official told ABC News that being al Qaeda's number three is "the most dangerous job in the world."

But of the multiple "number three's" who the U.S. has killed, Yazid was the most important, not just because of personal relationships with Zawahiri and bin Laden going back decades. According to a U.S. official, it's also because Yazid has been one of the most "dangerous" members of al Qaeda. "He was a very unpleasant guy," said the official. "He's had a hand or a role in every major thing that the group has done to us or our allies in the last 9 years."

Since 2007, Yazid has been al Qaeda's commander in Afghanistan, brought into that position after al Qaeda's relationship with Mullah Muhammad Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, had cooled. An Egyptian, Yazid was an early member of Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad. When Zawahiri's group merged with bin Laden's group to make the present day al Qaeda, Yazid became a founding member of al Qaeda.

He joined bin Laden in Afghanistan during the 1980s, having fled Egypt after being released from prison in Cairo, where he served three years for his purported connection to the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Yazid, who served for many years as al Qaeda's accountant and chief financial officer, was a leading strategist of the organization and a trusted deputy of both Zawahiri and bin Laden, one of the few in al Qaeda believed to have direct access to the two elusive leaders of the organization. Yazid was cited in the 9/11 Commission's report as the person who controlled the funds used for the devastating attacks.

While the 9/11 commission described al-Yazid as a "chief financial officer," in recent years he had ascended into a higher position, with his hand in virtually everything al Qaeda did. "He has an intimate understanding not only of the books," said a U.S. official, "but also how the money is being spent, which departments are operating correctly and incorrectly, how am I amortizing my costs, etc."

Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Yazid fled Afghanistan and hid, finally re-emerging in 2007 when al Qaeda announced his position leading the group in Afghanistan.

Since then, he has been a consistent face of al Qaeda, appearing in dozens of videos and audio-tapes, excoriating American troops and calling for more attacks against the West.

At the time of his return to the battlefield, analysts and experts noted that Yazid was chosen because of his strong relationship with (cut) Mullah Omar and his excellent rapport with the Afghan Pashtun fighters under Omar.

His promotion was seen as an effort by bin Laden to strengthen ties with the Taliban and refocus efforts on the war inside Afghanistan.

But as he rose in the ranks, the United States began to kill mid-level al Qaeda leaders, forcing Yazid to become less strategic and more tactical, according to a U.S. official. "He has to be in touch with people, has to take the meetings, he has to send out the messages. And that exposed him," the official said.

As al Qaeda's leaders have been targeted, the group has morphed, in part by helping and embedding with local terror groups. A U.S. official compared how al Qaeda currently operates in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region to a venture capital firm. Al Qaeda has found groups to "invest" in, helping them facilitate, finance, train, and organize. Yazid was at the center of that effort, a "conduit" between al Qaeda and groups such as the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Taiba, as well as the Taliban, according to the official. The official compared Yazid to the venture capital firm's "angel investor" who has made some "very wise investments" in certain groups in recent years.

U.S. authorities have announced Yazid's death on more than one occasion before, only to have Yazid appear in a video and boast that he was still alive.

Although al Qaeda will have already replaced Yazid on the organizational chart, his experience and veteran leadership will be difficult to replace.

Yazid's death does not mark the end of al Qaeda nor suggest U.S. forces are any closer to finding bin Laden and Al Zawahiri.

But it does mark the end of the line of al Qaeda operatives who forged their skills in the Afghan jihad against Russia in the 1980's.

And it suggests that al Qaeda is currently made up and led on a daily basis by a much younger group of terrorists, ones who gained their experience after 9/11. The newer leaders, analysts say, could prove more radical, less mature, and perhaps degrade al Qaeda's global aspirations.

Additional reporting by Martha Raddatz.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-num...

American Jihadi Rapping for Recruits

By MATTHEW COLE

Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, the American jihadist based in Somalia, has developed a new and unusual approach to recruiting Western Muslim recruits: hip-hop.

Over the past year Amriki, whose real name is Omar Hammami, and who was born to a Syrian father and Southern Baptist mother in Alabama 26 years ago , has released a series of five rap songs over the internet extolling the virtues of jihad and condemning America's presence in Muslim countries.

Hammami has been the star of jihadi videos praising Islamic militancy in Somalia and is believed to be a member of al Shahab, a Somali Islamic militant group aligned with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda that is currently fighting the fragile civilian government of Somalia.

While snippets of the five songs appeared in the background of a video released last year, the songs are now all available in their entirety on the internet. They represent a crude attempt to reach young, Western Muslims who may prefer to listen to music rather than a religious preacher.

His most recent release, "First Stop Addis," however, named after the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, appears to be a few years old. The song, which emerged earlier this month and speaks of a love for "slaughter[ing] Crusaders," references ex-president George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "We're sending missiles through the streets," he warns in the nearly four minute track. "Destroys tanks, 'copters and Navy fleets. /Iraq and Afghanistan cause you to bleed/Touching Somalia/A regrettable deed."

In a better known title that emerged last year, "Blow by Blow," Hammami softly invites American military strikes in Afghanistan and Somalia, "Bomb by bomb/Blast by blast/Only going to bring back the glorious past." The song lasts about two minutes and 30 seconds.

The track is aimed at an English-speaking audience with a history lesson for those sympathetic to Islamic holy warriors. In one verse, Hammami explains, "It all started out in Afghanistan/When we wiped the oppressors off the land//The Union crumbled, rumbled and tumbled/Humbled, left them mumbled/Made a power withdraw and cower."

Both tracks consist only of Hammami rapping with no musical instrumentation. According to the strict interpretation of Islam current in al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, music is forbidden. Hammami appears to sidestep the prohibition by limiting himself to singing.

Omar Hammami moved to Toronto from Alabama in 2004 and married a Somali-Canadian woman. He moved to Egypt in 2005 and apparently to Somalia the following year. He gave an interview to al Jazeera in 2007 as Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, which seems to be his first public appearance under that nom de guerre.

In April, a video called "Festival for the Children of the Martyrs" surfaced, showing Hammami among adults and children. Hammami can be seen giving toy guns to the children.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/american-jih...

Ex-CIA Star Accused of Rape Tasered Twice During Arrest, Had Gun, Crack Pipe

By MATTHEW COLE and ANGELA HILL

Andrew Warren, the former CIA station chief accused of drugging, raping and taping a Muslim woman while serving overseas, was hit twice with a taser when he was arrested earlier this week, according to two U.S. officials. At a hearing in a Virginia federal court Tuesday, Warren was confined to a wheelchair and bruising was visible on his face.

Warren was arrested Monday after a bench warrant was issued for missing a pre-trial hearing for his coming trial for sexual misconduct. Local police, U.S. Marshals and officers from the Diplomatic Security Service found Warren at a Norfolk, Virginia Ramada Limited hotel late Monday.

When Warren missed his court date earlier this month, authorities had reached out to friends and family members for help in finding him, and said they believed he was abusing crack cocaine and might be in danger. As first reported by the Washington Post, the 42-year-old Norfolk native had a gun in his waistband when officers attempted to arrest him Monday, and officers used a taser to subdue him.

According to the two federal law enforcement officials, officers fired an electrical charge at Warren because they believed he was under the influence of drugs and was reaching for his "mid-torso," where the gun was located. He was tasered twice, said the officials. They said a crack pipe and a handgun were recovered from Warren's room.

Local ABC affiliate WVEC reported earlier this week that neighbors of Warren noticed odd behavior in the weeks prior to the hotel room arrest. The acquaintances said that Warren displayed his genitals outside his pants.

Warren is now in federal custody and was transferred to Washington on Thursday. The former CIA chief of station in Algeria faces one federal count of sexual abuse.

Warren's fall from grace has been dramatic. According to two former CIA officials, Warren was a rising star at the CIA. He was a fluent Arabic speaker who had converted to Islam, making him an ideal officer in the Middle East for the intelligence agency.

Before being posted to Algeria, Warren had served in Egypt, Afghanistan, and a stint in that CIA domestic station in New York. It was in New York, a few years after 9/11, that supervisors spotted him as a potential star, ready to be deployed around the world as a spy. Within a very short time - four years - Warren had been posted as station chief in Algeria.

Warren worked for the agency in the Middle East until October 2008, until he was recalled from the region and then fired after two women came forward and accused him of rape, accusations which were first reported by ABC News' Brian Ross in January 2009. He was charged with one federal count of sexual abuse in June.

Bureau of Diplomatic Security

According to an affidavit filed by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, two women in separate incidents alleged that Warren gave them drinks that caused them to pass out and then sexually assaulted them at his Algerian apartment while they were in a helpless unconscious or semi-conscious state. In the first case, the alleged victim claims that Warren prepared a mixed drink of cola and whiskey. The woman stated that she felt a "violent onset of nausea," and Warren said she should spend the night at his home.

When she woke up the next morning, according to the affidavit, "she was lying on a bed, completely nude, with no memory of how she had been undressed." She said she realized "she recently had engaged in sexual intercourse, though she had no memory of having intercourse."

The second victim's account also states that Warren allegedly drugged her before raping her. "While drinking the second apple martini, [Victim 2] suddenly felt faint and felt the immediate needed to vomit. V2 described the sudden and violent onset of the illness as nothing like the physiological effects of alcohol related sickness that she had experienced when she consumed alcohol on previous occasions. V2 stated she immediately began to pass in and out of consciousness. V2's recollections of the ensuing events are characterized as passing in and out of consciousness, due to the debilitating effects of the illness," the affidavit states.

"[Victim 2's] next recollection was being located in Warren's upstairs bathroom, on the floor. V2 could see and hear, but she could not move. Warren was in the bathroom, and he was attempting to remove V2's pants. Although V2 could not physically resist Warren, she was able to speak, and she asked him to leave the bathroom. Warren continued to undress V2, and told her she would feel better after a bath. V2 stated that she had difficulty comprehending what was happening to her. Eventually Warren was able to remove V2's blue jeans, boots, and her blazer," the statement said.

Allegedly, the woman remembers being in Warren's bed and asking him to stop, but according to the affidavit, "Warren made a statement to the effect of 'nobody stays in my expensive sheets with clothes on.'" She told the Diplomatic Security agents that, "as she slipped in and out of consciousness she had conscious images of Warren penetrating her vagina repeatedly with his penis."

Diplomatic Security Special Agent Scott Baker noted in the affidavit, "The victims' symptoms were consistent with drugs used to facilitate sexual assaults."

U.S. officials also said that a search of Warren's residence uncovered many tapes of Warren engaged in sex with women, including at least one tape that shows a woman in a semi-conscious state.

Asked for a comment on the case in 2009, CIA spokesman George Little said in a statement, "We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in this matter, which involves a former agency employee who was fired earlier this year."

Warren pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual assault in June 2009. He was released on his recognizance after his arraignment and had been living in the Norfolk area ever since.

Morton Taubman, an attorney for Warren, said in 2009 his client is, "Not guilty...He is innocent."

According to the Justice Department, if convicted, Warren could face life in prison.

Jason Ryan contributed reporting to this story.

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/cia-star-acc...

CIA Officers May Have 'Lied' About Permission To Destroy Torture Tapes

By MATTHEW COLE

Newly released internal CIA documents seem to show then-Director Porter Goss laughing when told he'll take the heat for the destruction of detainee interrogation videotapes, including tapes showing the waterboarding of top al Qaeda prisoner Abu Zubaydah.

But according to a former CIA official familiar with the meeting where the destruction of tapes was discussed, Goss was angry over not being informed until after the tapes had been destroyed. Goss had not approved the decision and was "beside himself" when he learned of the destruction, according to three former senior intelligence officials.

More than 100 pages of internal CIA documents released late Thursday show confusion in the upper ranks of the CIA about the destruction of scores of detainee interrogation videotapes in late 2005.

The documents and emails reveal the CIA at odds over who ordered the destruction of the videotapes and that several Agency and White House officials were "livid" over the tapes' destruction.

The videos were taken at a secret CIA prison in Thailand in 2002, and later stored at the CIA station in Bangkok for three years before they were ordered destroyed.

Jose Rodriguez, then the CIA's top clandestine service official, ordered the destruction of the videotapes, which showed the waterboarding and interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, alleged al Qaeda mastermind of the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Rodriguez believed that if the tapes were ever viewed out of context, "they would make us look terrible, it would be 'devastating' to us," according to one of the emails released.

The email, which describes a meeting on Nov. 10, 2005, the day after Rodriguez ordered the tapes destroyed, seems to show then director Goss agreeing with Rodriguez's decision.

Sent to the CIA's number three official shortly after the meeting, the email suggested that Goss had approved of the destruction and "laughed" and acknowledged that he "would take the heat" for the decision. "All in the room agreed," said the email, that release of the tapes would be a major problem.

But a former intelligence official familiar with the meeting said Goss had not approved of the destruction.

"Porter understood why Jose destroyed the tapes, but was against their destruction," the official told ABCNEWS.com. At the meeting, said the official, Goss told Rodriguez and other CIA officers that "destroying tapes of any kind is just a bad idea in Washington."

A second email sent less than two hours later by the same top Agency official who authored the first email appears to confirm that account of Goss's anger. After a series of top-level meetings about the destruction, the senior CIA official who authored the email wrote that he was "no longer feeling comfortable" and suggested that Rodriguez or one of his aides had "lied" or "misstated the facts" when asserting that he had approval to destroy the tapes.

In that same email, a CIA official describes the reaction of John Rizzo, then the agency's top lawyer, to the destruction of the tapes. "Rizzo is clearly upset," the email states. "Rizzo does not think this will just go away."The email says then-White House counsel Harriet Miers was also "livid" when informed of their destruction.

A current U.S. official familiar with the emails cautioned that the emails reflected one officer's interpretation of events. "You've got the possibility that some folks thought that procedures hadn't exactly been followed," said the official, "but I'm unaware of anyone who thought at the time that laws had been broken."

The documents were released as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act request by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Justice Department is currently investigating whether any CIA officials broke the law by destroying the tapes.

Robert S. Bennett, attorney for Jose Rodriguez, told ABC News that "nothing in the documents suggests Jose broke the law."

"Jose was protecting his operatives and the national security of the country and deserves a medal and praise rather than an investigation," added Bennett. "Before he made the decision, he got assurances that it was legal and that there were no legal impediments to do it."

CIA spokesman George Little said a Department of Justice prosecutor had been looking into the destruction of the tapes for more than two years. "The agency has cooperated fully with that inquiry and will, of course, continue to do so," said Little.

Porter Goss could not be reached for comment.

Captured US Soldier: 'Bring Me Home!'

By MATTHEW COLE and JIM VOJTECH

Bowe Bergdahl pleaded for his freedom in a newly released video, telling the camera, "I want to go home." The video is the most recent proof that the 24-year-old American solder, taken captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan last summer, may be still alive.

Bergdahl, an Army private from Idaho, was captured by Afghan insurgents on June 30 after wandering off from his post near the Pakistan border. Three Afghan soldiers were captured with Bergdahl. All are said to be in captivity.

Shortly after Bergdahl was taken prisoner, his captors filmed him making a brief statement and drinking tea and released the tape on the internet. They released a second video in December.

In the new video, Bergdahl is bearded and dressed in military issue clothing. He holds up a newspaper, but the date of the paper's publication is not visible.

Bergdahl also performs push-ups to demonstrate his physical condition and says he is being treated well, despite being a prisoner.

But Bergdahl begins to lose his composure as he talks to the camera.

"Release me please, I'm begging you," he says.

"I love my family. I haven't shown it very well because I've been pretty lost in my life and I don't think I've given my family the love that they've given me."

"Let me go," pleads Bergdahl.

Col. Tim Marsano of the Idaho Nat'l Guard, the media contact for Bowe Bergdahl's family, said that the family "is copying with this new development."

"As you can imagine," said Col. Marsano, "the last nine-plus months have been extremely difficult for the Bergdahls and they do take comfort in the words and actions of their family, their friends, the community in the Wood River Valley and from all of the cards, letters and e-mails they have received from all over the world."

A spokesman for international forces in Afghanistan called the use of Pfc. Bergdahl for propaganda "a deplorable act," and said it only fueled efforts to find him. "The insurgents who hold Bowe are obviously using him as a means to ultimately cause pain to his family and friends," said Gregory Smith, director of communications for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Bergdahl says on the tape that he is in Afghanistan, but U.S. and Afghan sources involved in the search for Bergdahl believe he has been held in Pakistan for most of his captivity.

Bergdahl is the only known serviceman captured since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. According to a person actively involved in the search, a top Afghan insurgent commander has taken credit for capturing the soldier and is holding him in the Pakistani tribal areas.

Bergdahl was taken by Mullah Sangeen's men from village near the U.S. military post in Paktika, where he was stationed, according to a senior Afghan Army official in the province. The captors "punched and hit the soldier after some resistance. But than they were able to take the soldier and left all of his things: weapon, body armor and radios." The Afghan official says Bergdahl and the three Afghan National Army soldiers were moved from the near-by village and quickly vanished.

Additional reporting by Nick Schifrin

 

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/captured-us-...