Washington: An Indian-origin defence strategist, India-US expert, and policy maker was arrested in the US on charges of possessing classified documents.
Ashley J Tellis (64) was born in Mumbai and holds BA and MA degrees in economics from the University of Bombay. He later moved to the US and obtained a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago.
Tellis served in the National Security Council of former Republican president George W Bush and is listed in an FBI court affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and a Pentagon contractor.
He spent over 20 years in Washington’s policy groups. The strategy expert joined the State Department in 2001, and has served under multiple governments, including those of Donald Trump and George W Bush.
He also authored several books. These include Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia, and India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture. He also published Atoms for War? US-Indian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation and India’s Nuclear Arsenal.
According to a federal court in Virginia, Tellis has been arrested and charged with illegally retaining classified national defence information.
A search of Tellis’ residence in Vienna, Virginia, on Saturday, allegedly uncovered over a thousand pages of classified documents with top secret and secret markings.
The FBI affidavit accompanying the charge document said that in September and October this year Tellis entered defense and state department buildings and was observed accessing and printing classified documents, including about military aircraft capabilities, and leaving by car with a leather briefcase or bag, Reuters has reported.
Tellis allegedly met Chinese government officials on multiple occasions over the past years, the document states. The meetings included a September 15 dinner at a restaurant in Fairfax, at which Tellis allegedly arrived with a manila envelope, which he did not appear to have when he left.
A Justice Department statement said that if convicted, Tellis – a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace -faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $ 250,000.