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US Sailor Charged with Espionage and Desertion

Ariel Weinmann, a 21-year-old sailor facing espionage and desertion charges is now suspected of having worked on behalf of Russia, military sources close to the case reveal. According to the charges against him, the fire control technician third class, assigned to the submarine USS Albuquerque, attempted on three occasions to pass classified information to foreign agents. Reports indicate that those times include March 2005 in Bahrain, October 2005 in Vienna, Austria, and March 2006 in Mexico City, Mexico, according to the charges.

In addition to the espionage allegations, Weinmann also faces desertion charges from July 2005, which could result in the death penalty. A customs agent reportedly took Weinmann into custody March 26 at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport when he tried to re-enter the United States. Desertions are not often spoken about in the media, though in Iraq desertions have occurred before.

According to the report, the case is the second one involving spying allegations by Russia against the U.S. military, with the Defense Department saying it believes Russia collected information about American intelligence in Iraq from U.S. Central Command in Doha, Bahrain, in 2003. While the United States and Russia are no longer Cold War enemies, information is a valuable commodity and Russia and the U.S. still posture for possible future confrontations.