The American soldier was detained at the Fort Campbell military base on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee (French)
US authorities announced on Thursday that they had arrested an Army intelligence analyst and a soldier on charges of conspiring to sell sensitive defense information to a foreign national living in Hong Kong.
A statement issued by the US Department of Justice said that Sergeant Corbin Schultz - who holds a security clearance authorizing him to access highly classified information - was detained at the Fort Campbell military base on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee.
Schultz was charged with "conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defense information, export technical data related to defense materials without a license, conspiracy to export defense materials without a license, and bribery of a public official," according to a statement by the US Department of Defense (Pentagon).
Schultz is accused of conspiring with a foreign national who allegedly lives in Hong Kong and works for a geopolitical consulting firm based abroad to disclose information related to US national defense.
The indictment against Schultz did not specify the country to which he was allegedly providing sensitive military information, but media reports identified it as China.
According to the indictment, since June 2022, Schultz has provided contacts in Hong Kong with documents, maps, and photos related to US national defense, and in exchange for the documents and information, he allegedly received at least 14 cash payments totaling $42,000.
The Ministry of Justice indicated that the information included possible American plans in the event that Taiwan was subjected to a military attack, and also included documents related to combat aircraft, helicopters, hypersonic equipment, and the HIMARs missile launcher system.
The information also includes studies on the future development of the US Armed Forces, studies on major countries such as China, and summaries of military training and operations, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Larissa Knapp of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said: “The conduct alleged in today’s indictment represents a serious betrayal of your oath to defend our country.”
"Instead of protecting national defense information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security," she added.
Schultz's indictment comes shortly after the arrest of two US Navy personnel in California on charges of spying for China.
Last August, US Marine Wenheng Zhao, a junior officer in the Navy, was arrested on charges of spying for China. The latter was sentenced last January to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer. And accepting a bribe.
Source: Agencies