Ex-U.S. Army sergeant charged with trying to pass secrets to China

Former U.S. Army sergeant, Joseph Daniel Schmidt, was arrested on charges of attempting to pass sensitive American defense information to China.

The suspect: Schmidt, who has a background in military intelligence and a top-secret security clearance, was taken into custody at San Francisco airport. He faces charges of attempting to deliver and retention of national defense information.
* Schmidt served in the U.S. Army from 2015 to 2020, and worked as a team leader in spying operations.
* Schmidt’s arrest occurred as he was trying to book a flight from San Francisco.

The allegations: The investigation indicates that Schmidt allegedly tried to pass classified information to China, soon after leaving the military.
* According to court documents, Schmidt had contacted the Chinese Consulate via email, offered to share his knowledge, and requested for a face-to-face meeting.
* He created document files containing classified information, including details about U.S. Army intelligence training, and attempted to share with Chinese officials.

Remainings of investigation: At this point, it is unclear whether Schmidt entered China’s security ministry building or whether Chinese officials interacted with him.
* Schmidt allegedly left the U.S. due to a “disagreement with American policy” and had been living primarily in Hong Kong since 2020.
* Despite his ongoing attempts, the extent of the sensitive information he successfully shared is yet unknown.

Recent updates: Schmidt was finally apprehended this week when he attempted to return to the U.S. via a flight to San Francisco.

View original article on NPR

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