ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A retired decorated Air Force sergeant who worked as a civilian at the super-secret office that builds and operates U.S. spy satellites was held Friday on a spying charge.Brian P. Regan, 38, appeared in federal court a day after federal authorities took him into custody as he was passing through a security checkpoint to take a Lufthansa flight to Zurich, Switzerland, via Frankfurt, Germany.
Regan is charged with conspiracy to commit espionage. Prosecutors would not name the country or countries that received U.S. secrets. But a government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was Libya.
``Mr. Regan conspired to transmit classified U.S. national defense information to a person or persons he knew was working for a foreign government with the intent to aid that foreign government and bring injury to United States,'' said U.S. Attorney Kenneth Melson. (Read photo caption below)
Regan, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., had received a number of military honors, including an award for distinguished service involving his work as an intelligence analyst following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The arrest came not long after federal prosecutors negotiated a plea-bargain deal with Robert Hanssen, who pleaded guilty to several counts of spying over several years for Russia. Melson said he knew of no connection between the Regan and Hanssen cases.
According to an affidavit, Regan served in the Air Force from August 1980 until retiring in August 2000. He was trained in cryptanalysis and his responsibilities included administering the Intelink Web site, a classified U.S. government computer system accessible only to certain members of the U.S. intelligence community.
Regan's last assignment with the Air Force was at the National Reconnaissance Office, where he had access to top-secret defense information. His access
PHOTO CAPTION:
U.S. Attorney Kenneth Melson, right, talks with reporters in front of U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. Friday, Aug. 24, 2001 after a hearing for accused spy Brian P. Regan. "Regan conspired to transmit classified U.S. national defense information to a person or persons he knew was working for a foreign government with the intent to aid the foreign government and bring injury to the United States," Melson told U.S. Magistrate Judge Welton Sewell. At left is the FBI Assistant Director for the Washington Field Office, Van Harp. (AP Photo/Heeson Yim)
- Aug 24 6:04 PM ET