US reveals how contractor leaked top secret information to Ethiopia

A former US government contractor, Abraham Teklu Lemma, has pleaded guilty to spying for Ethiopia by sharing dozens of highly classified American intelligence documents with Ethiopian government officials. Lemma, who held a Top Secret security clearance, worked as an IT contractor for the National Reconnaissance Office, US Department of State, and Department of Justice.

He faces up to 22 years in prison under a plea agreement. According to court documents, Lemma began conspiring with senior Ethiopian officials in 2021 and continued until his arrest in August 2023. The information he shared included Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information, which could cause exceptionally grave damage to America’s national security if disclosed without authorization.

Brief written by urgent.news from People Daily Kenya's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.