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A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 14 February 2019
U.S. says ex-intel official defected to Iran, revealed secrets
By ERIC TUCKER feeding details about their 40th anniversary of its Is-
Associated Press personal and professional lamic Revolution and as
WASHINGTON (AP) — A for- lives to Iran. Four hackers the country denounced a
mer U.S. Air Force counter- linked to the Iranian gov- Middle East security confer-
intelligence specialist who ernment, charged in the ence co-hosted by the U.S.
defected to Iran despite same indictment, used that and Poland. Officials said
warnings from the FBI has information to target the the indictment's timing was
been charged with reveal- intelligence workers online, unconnected to the meet-
ing classified information prosecutors said. ing.
to the Tehran government, Witt had been on the FBI's Witt, a Texas native, served
including the code name radar at least a year be- in the Air Force between
and secret mission of a fore she defected after she 1997 and 2008, where she
Pentagon program, pros- attended an Iranian con- was trained in the Farsi lan-
ecutors said Wednesday. ference and appeared in guage and was deployed
The Justice Department anti-American videos. She overseas on classified
also accused Monica Elfrie- was warned about her counterintelligence mis-
de Witt, 39, of betraying for- activities, but reassured sions, including to the Mid-
mer colleagues in the U.S. This image provided by the FBI shows part of the wanted poster agents that she would not dle East. She then found
for Monica Elfriede Witt.
intelligence community by Associated Press provide sensitive informa- work as a Defense Depart-
tion about her work if she ment contractor.
returned to Iran, prosecu- She defected to Iran in
tors say. She was not arrest- 2013 after being invited
ed at the time. to two all-expense-paid
"Once a holder of a top conferences in the coun-
secret security clearance, try that the Justice Depart-
Monica Witt actively sought ment says promoted anti-
opportunities to undermine Western propaganda and
the United States and sup- condemned American
port the government of Iran moral standards. She was a
— a country which poses a Defense Department con-
serious threat to our nation- tractor at the time.
al security," said FBI execu- The Treasury Department
tive assistant director Jay on Wednesday sanctioned
Tabb, the bureau's top na- the New Horizon Organi-
tional security official. zation, which sponsored
Tabb said "she provided in- the conferences Witt at-
formation that could cause tended and hosts events
serious damage to national that American officials say
security," though he did not promote Holocaust denial,
provide specifics. conspiracy theories and
Witt remains at large in Iran, serve as a platform for Ira-
as do the four hackers, who nian intelligence recruit-
prosecutors say were act- ment.
ing on behalf of the gov- Witt first traveled to a "Hol-
ernment-linked Islamic Rev- lywoodism" conference in
olutionary Guard Corps. 2012, when she appeared
That group, a branch of in Iranian television videos
Iran's armed forces, has in which she identified her-
been designated by the self as a former U.S. service
U.S. government as terror- member with hostile views
ism supporter. toward America. She was
The indictment was un- warned by FBI agents that
sealed the same week she was a potential recruit-
as Iran celebrated the ment target.q
