A renowned expert who worked including for the Pentagon was arrested for the sting of classified information / over a thousand “strictly secret” documents, found in his home

Ashley Tellis, a renowned expert in relations between the US and India and former counselor of several American administrations, was arrested and charged with illegal restraint on national defense, according to Reuters.

Tellis was part of the National Security Council of former Republican President George W. Bush and appears in a statement of the FBI as an unpaid counselor of the Pentagon State and Contractor. At the same time, the 64 -year -old man is a senior member of Carnegie Endowment For International Peace, a Washington Think Tank.

He was arrested on the weekend and accused months of evading classified information, according to legal documents, quoted by Reuters.

In September and October this year, Tellis entered the buildings of the Department of Defense and the State Department and was observed by accessing and printing classified documents, including about the capabilities of military aircraft, and leaving a car or leather bag, shows in the FBI statement that accompanies the accusation document on behalf of the expert.

Tellis's home in Vienna, Virginia, was searched by authorities on Saturday. There were discovered over a thousand pages of documents classified with “strict secret” and “secret” markings.

Tellis would have met several times with Chinese government officials in recent years, according to an Oath statement made public on Tuesday.

In April 2023, Tellis had dinner with Chinese government officials in a suburb of Washington and “could be heard occasionally about Iran-Chinese relationships and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence,” said an FBI agent.

Due to its function within the State Department and Pentagon, Tellis held a “Top Secret” level security authorization with access to compartmentalized sensitive information.

If he is convicted, Tellis risks up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000, the US Department of Justice said.