FBI officials announced Thursday that a 28-year-old Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) employee was arrested for allegedly attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government, according to a press release.
The suspect, identified as Nathan Vilas Laatsch, was arrested in northern Virginia following an investigation launched after a tip that someone had “offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government.” In a statement posted to X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the case highlights “the persistent risk of insider threats.”
“This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats. The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and [many] thanks [to] our law enforcement partners for their critical support,” Patel wrote.
According to officials, court documents show Laatsch had been employed by the DIA since 2019, working in its Insider Threat Division and holding a Top Secret security clearance.
In March, the FBI received a tip about a potential threat and discovered an email in which the sender said he did not “agree or align with the values of this administration” and was “willing to share classified information,” including “completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence and other assorted classified documentation.”
Laatsch unknowingly began communicating with an undercover FBI agent, believing they were an official of the foreign government. The 28-year-old allegedly transcribed classified information onto a notepad at his desk and, over the course of approximately three days, repeatedly exfiltrated the information from his workspace.
By May, Laatsch was surveilled by the FBI at a drop location, handing off a thumb drive containing classified information, according to officials.
“Following Laatsch’s departure, the FBI retrieved the item, which was a thumb drive later found to contain a message from Laatsch and multiple typed documents, each containing information that was portion-marked up to the Secret or Top Secret levels,” the press release states. “The message from Laatsch indicated that he had chosen to include “a decent sample size” of classified information to “decently demonstrate the range of types of products” to which he had access.”
Between May 15 and May 27, Laatsch allegedly gathered more classified information, telling the undercover agent he would consider “citizenship for your country” or “other compensation.” As the 28-year-old prepared to deliver a second batch of materials on Thursday, FBI officials then arrested the former DIA employee.
Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, several federal departments have faced internal leaks. In February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested that “corrupt” FBI agents were behind a leaked memo detailing a planned large-scale ICE raid in the Los Angeles area.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Noem said DHS had identified “some” of the leakers and warned there would be consequences for those involved.
“We are continuing to get more. They will be fired. There will be consequences. And remember, when they leak information to the press in order to blow an op, they are putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy,” Noem said. “They are risking their lives and putting their families in the position where they have to live without those individuals any further.”
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/PBS NewsHour)
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