US contractor gave Ethiopia secrets to help kill Tigray fighters

An Ethiopian-born American citizen has pleaded guilty to passing highly classified intelligence to Ethiopia, including information he hoped would help target and kill fighters during the country's 2020 civil war.

"In doing so, he betrayed his oath, his colleagues, and his country, while jeopardizing our national security," said US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

The 54-year-old faces up to 22 years in prison under a plea agreement, with sentencing scheduled for next April.

Prosecutors said Abraham worked with senior figures in Ethiopia's political, military and intelligence establishments between 2021 and his arrest in August 2023.

He secretly removed classified material from secure government facilities, sometimes copying sensitive information into handwritten notes that he carried out of the buildings. He used his position as an IT administrator to extract electronic intelligence files.

"Much of the highly classified information Lemma shared with the Ethiopian government concerned an armed conflict in Ethiopia," prosecutors said.

The information included satellite imagery and details of military activities, which he passed to Ethiopian officials through encrypted messages.

The FBI said Ethiopian officials subsequently used intelligence supplied by Abraham in military operations.

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)