WASHINGTON DC, KOMPAS.com – A former special forces captain United States of America ( AS), Peter Debbins, has been arrested on charges espionage.
This was stated by the US Ministry of Justice as quoted from BBC, Thursday (21/8/2020).
Debbins is alleged to have provided classified information to the agency intelligence military ( TOWER CRANE) Russia for over 10 years.
In a press release, the US Justice Ministry said that during Debbins’ visits to Russia in the 2000s, he had contact with GRU agents.
The GRU agent was identified by his code name as Ikar Lesnikov.
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If convicted, the 45-year-old Debbins will face up to life in prison.
The man from Gainesville, Virginia, was accused of conspiring to provide US national defense information to foreign government agents.
Assistant Attorney General John Demers said Debbins broke his oath as a US Army officer, betrayed special forces and jeopardized the country’s national security.
“He disclosed classified information to Russian intelligence officers, gave details of his unit, and identified members of the special forces team for Russian intelligence to try to recruit as spy, ”Continued Demers.
He added that the US had high trust in the accused and used that trust as a weapon against the US.
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Son of Russia
The press release from the US Ministry of Justice added that Mrs. Debbins was born in the former Uni Soviet.
It is partly for that reason that he has an interest in Russia and traveled there many times between 1994 and 2010.
He married the daughter of a Russian military officer he met in the city of Chelyabinsk in the 1990s.
The U.S. Department of Justice added Debbins often expressed his loyalty to Moscow and called himself a “Russian son”.
“Russian intelligence agents allegedly encouraged him to join and pursue a career in special forces which he did,” said the US Justice Ministry.
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He served in the U.S. Army from 1998 to 2005.
Debbins served in chemical units including in South Korea before joining special forces as captain in Germany in 2003.
A year later he received a high security permit and was sent to Azerbaijan.
But then Debbins was investigated for a security breach and removed from command.
He accepted his resignation honorably in November 2005 and served on the reserve team until 2010.
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