The FBI is focusing on identifying the location where the leaked U.S. intelligence documents were produced.
FBI investigators in collaboration with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service have zeroed in on potential locations where the leaked documents might have been printed prior to their release last Friday. Due to the escalating occurrences of classified document leaks, the federal government has intensified its surveillance on when employees access and print such classified documents.
Two sources acquainted with US intelligence assert that the leaked Israel-related documents, which surfaced on social media last week, were commonly accessible intelligence products. However, at least one seems to be a scan from an officially distributed briefing book. Investigators are endeavoring to pinpoint where the documents were printed and who had the authorization to access them. The group of individuals who printed these pages would likely be limited; sources hinted - a crucial lead for the investigators.
US officials are more concerned about the leak itself rather than the content of the documents. This issue has simmered in the background of national security circles in Washington throughout the week.
The leading Democrat and Republican on the Senate intelligence committee appealed to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday to "swiftly pursue the investigation" and take immediate action against those involved in the leak.
"If any individual in the US Government responsible for safeguarding America's most sensitive secrets is implicated, these individuals must be prosecuted to the utmost extent of the law," Senators Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, and Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, penned in a letter to Wray obtained by CNN.
The senators requested an update from the FBI on its investigation within fifteen days and immediate notification of the appropriate congressional committees if the intelligence community makes a criminal referral to the Department of Justice regarding the leak.
The nature of the leaked documents suggests that they were widely accessible to individuals with top-secret security clearance across the intelligence community, Department of Defense, other federal agencies, and the country's closest allies.
The documents, dated October 15 and 16, were distributed online on Friday, following their posting on Telegram by an account titled "Middle East Spectator." They are marked top secret and carry indications pointing to their intended recipients being the US and its "Five Eyes" allies - Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
One of the documents, produced by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, discusses Israel's plans to transport munitions.
Another NGA document, incorporating intelligence from the National Security Agency, outlines Israeli air force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles, believed to be in preparation for a strike on Iran. CNN does not quote directly from or show the documents.
Although it's generally accepted that the US spies even on its allies, the public disclosure of US surveillance on Israel could potentially test relations at a critical juncture when the US is attempting to bring to a close the series of interconnected conflicts in which Israel is now involved.
A significant disclosure of US intelligence last year also tested the relationships with allies and partners, including South Korea and Ukraine, after a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira disseminated highly classified information on the social media platform Discord.
In that instance, the FBI was able to act rapidly to identify Teixeira, whose digital footprint assisted investigators in swiftly focusing their inquiry. Teixeira is now serving a 16-year sentence for the leak, and the Pentagon has subsequently stated that it has reduced the number of individuals with access to certain documents.
The investigation into the leak of Israeli-related documents has led FBI directors to focus on the source of the documents, as they were commonly accessible to individuals with top-secret clearance. This incident has sparked concerns among US officials, as a significant disclosure of US intelligence can strain relations with allies.
