Scientist who worked for US accused of spying

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maryland scientist who worked for the Defense Department, a White House space council and other agencies was arrested Monday on charges of passing along classified information to an undercover FBI agent he believed was an Israeli intelligence officer.

Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, was charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to communicate, deliver and transmit classified information, the Justice Department said. The complaint does not allege that the government of Israel or anyone acting on its behalf violated U.S. law.

Nozette was arrested by FBI agents. He is expected to make his initial appearance in federal court in Washington today.

In an affidavit supporting the complaint, FBI agent Leslie Martell said that on Sept. 3, Nozette received a telephone call from an individual purporting to be an Israeli intelligence officer. The caller was an undercover FBI agent.

Nozette agreed to meet with the agent later that day at a hotel in Washington, and in the subsequent meeting the two discussed Nozette’s willingness to work for Israeli intelligence, the affidavit said.

The affidavit alleges that Nozette informed the agent that he had, in the past, held top security clearances and had access to U.S. satellite information.

Nozette also purportedly said that he would be willing to answer questions about this information in exchange for money. The agent explained that the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, would arrange for a communication system so Nozette could pass on information in a post-office box.

Nozette agreed to provide regular, continuing information and asked for an Israeli passport, the affidavit alleged.

Nozette had worked in various jobs for the Energy Department, NASA and the National Space Council in the president’s office in 1989 and 1990.

He developed the Clementine bi-static radar experiment that purportedly discovered water on the south pole of the moon. He worked at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from approximately 1990 to 1999, where he designed highly advanced technology.

At the Energy Department, Nozette held a special security clearance equivalent to the Defense Department top secret and “critical nuclear weapon design information” clearances.