Ex-US officer in custody

Secret information about Ukraine leaked on dating app?

A former US officer from the state of Nebraska has been arrested on suspicion of leaking classified information. The 63-year-old is said to have passed on classified material to an unknown person via a foreign dating app.

This person pretended to be a woman living in Ukraine. According to media reports, the 63-year-old spoke to her by email and on a chat platform about the war in Ukraine and passed on sensitive information about military targets, for example. 

"My sweet Dave, thank you for the valuable information"
"Dear Dave, do NATO and (US President Joe) Biden have a secret plan to help us?" the person asked the former lieutenant colonel, for example, in an exchange reported by CBS News and Fox News, among others. The person reportedly addressed the 63-year-old as "my secret agent." "My sweet Dave, thanks for the valuable information (...)", it said elsewhere.

After his retirement, the 63-year-old worked - now as a civilian employee - at the US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He had had a clearance for secret documents for his work. He also took part in confidential meetings about Russia's war in Ukraine.

Ten years in prison
The ex-officer was arrested on Saturday and charged with passing on classified information to the detriment of US security, the Department of Justice announced. If convicted, he could face up to ten years in prison and a fine of at least 250,000 dollars (around 230,000 euros).