It has just now come to light that Lieutenant Commander Edward C. Lin of the US Navy has been charged with espionage, purportedly to assist the Chinese government.
A Taiwanese native and naturalized US citizen, Lin now faces an investigation from both the FBI and the NCIS.
His charges include undisclosed foreign travel, hiring a prostitute, and sharing sensitive information with reason to believe it would benefit a foreign nation.
Details about what specific information may have been compromised are not yet available, but Lin’s background in maritime surveillance and signals intelligence provide a clue.
He worked with some of the Navy’s most sensitive material regarding the collection of signals intelligence, so the implications could be big.
From the United States Naval Institute:
The specifics of how the U.S. gathers signals from potential adversaries are among the military’s most closely guarded secrets. Knowing the methodology for how the U.S. gathers signals intelligence – information that Lin would likely have with his Aries II experience – could allow adversaries to devise ways to counter U.S. monitoring.
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Lin was arrested last summer and is being held at the Naval Consolidated Brig in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Accused Spy Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin Was a Trained Nuclear Specialist, Navy Congressional Liaison https://t.co/rcStERE1Wf #USNINews
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) April 11, 2016
Charging docs say Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lin "wrongfully transported material classified as Secret." https://t.co/zl8Jb23ihm
— NPR (@NPR) April 11, 2016
Wow RT @willcollier: In case you weren't sure, this is really bad. https://t.co/EgQzVYN61N
— Melissa Mackenzie ? (@MelissaTweets) April 11, 2016
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