Pentagon analyst passed secrets to Israeli lobbying group;
Some patriotism still left in U.S. intelligence divisions.
THE FBI collared a Pentagon analyst yesterday on charges of slipping secret U.S. documents to a pro-Israel lobbying group.
The analyst coughed up classified intelligence about attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq to two employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the FBI charged. The incident allegedly occurred over lunch at a restaurant outside Washington in June 2003.
Larry Franklin (pictured), 58, surrendered yesterday morning as the FBI zeroed in. He made a brief appearance in U.S. District Court in Virginia and was released on $100,000 bond.
Franklin’s arrest is the first in an ongoing investigation dating to 2001 about whether Israel illegally obtained classified U.S. information.
The single charge of passing classified information carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. Franklin’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 27. He expects to plead not guilty, his lawyer, John Richards, said.
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