{"id":2440806,"date":"2025-05-30T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-intel-agency-employee-arrested-accused-of-feeding-national-security-information-to-foreign-nation\/"},"modified":"2025-05-30T08:24:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T12:24:47","slug":"defense-intel-agency-employee-arrested-accused-of-feeding-national-security-information-to-foreign-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-intel-agency-employee-arrested-accused-of-feeding-national-security-information-to-foreign-nation\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense Intel Agency Employee Arrested, Accused of Feeding National Security Information to Foreign Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdefense-intel-agency-employee-arrested-accused-of-feeding-national-security-information-to-foreign-nation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2440806&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>FBI officials recently announced the arrest of Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old employee of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), for allegedly attempting to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nsa-agent-arrested-after-giving-government-secrets-to-fbi-agent-he-thought-was-foreign-operative-feds-say\/\" title=\"NSA ... ...ed After Giving Government Secrets To ... ... He Thought Was Foreign Operative, Feds Say\">transmit national defense information<\/a> to a foreign government. Laatsch was arrested in northern Virginia after an inquiry was initiated following a tip-off about his activities. He had been with the DIA as 2019, working in the Insider Threat Division with a Top Secret security clearance.<\/p>\n<p>According to officials, Laatsch began communicating with an undercover FBI agent, believing them to be an official from a foreign government. over several days, he transcribed classified information and attempted to transmit it via a thumb drive. This <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >drive contained documents marked<\/a> with classified levels and a message indicating that he intentionally provided a sample of the information he had access to. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-turkeys-future-in-nato-an-asset-or-liability\/\" title=\"Is Turkey\u2019s Future in NATO an Asset or Liability?\">actions raised concerns<\/a> about insider threats within government agencies, as highlighted by FBI Director Kash Patel. Following his planned delivery of additional classified material, laatsch was apprehended by the FBI.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>FBI officials announced Thursday that a 28-year-old Defense Intelligence Agency employee was arrested for allegedly attempting to transmit national defense information to an officer or agent of a foreign government, according to a press release.<\/p>\n<p>The suspect, identified as Nathan Vilas Laatsch, was arrested in northern Virginia following an investigation launched after a tip that someone had &ldquo;offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government.&rdquo; In a statement posted to X, FBI Director Kash Patel <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fbidirectorkash\/status\/1928222473839071412?s=46\">said<\/a> the case highlights &ldquo;the persistent risk of insider threats.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats. The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and [many] thanks [to] our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nazi-guard-living-in-tennessee-deported-to-germany\/\" title=\"Former Nazi Guard Living In Tennessee Deported To Germany\">law enforcement partners<\/a> for their critical support,&rdquo; Patel wrote.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/us-government-employee-arrested-attempting-provide-classified-information-foreign-government\">officials<\/a>, court documents show Laatsch had been employed by the DIA since 2019, working in its Insider Threat Division and holding a Top Secret security clearance.<\/p>\n<p>In March, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fired-dan-bongino-puts-james-comey-notice-found-stuff-hidden-fbi-hq\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FBI<\/a> received a tip about a potential threat and discovered an  in which the sender said he did not &ldquo;agree or align with the values of this administration&rdquo; and was &ldquo;willing to  classified information,&rdquo; including &ldquo;completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence and other assorted classified documentation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Laatsch unknowingly began communicating with an undercover FBI agent, believing they were an official of the foreign government. The 28-year-old allegedly transcribed classified information onto a notepad at his desk and, over the course of approximately three days, repeatedly exfiltrated the information from his workspace.<\/p>\n<p>By May, Laatsch was surveilled by the FBI at a drop location, handing off a thumb drive containing classified information, according to officials.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Following Laatsch&rsquo;s departure, the FBI retrieved the item, which was a thumb drive later found to contain a message from Laatsch and multiple typed documents, each containing information that was portion-marked up to the Secret or Top Secret levels,&rdquo; the press release states. &ldquo;The message from Laatsch indicated that he had chosen to include &ldquo;a decent sample size&rdquo; of classified information to &ldquo;decently demonstrate the range of types of products&rdquo; to which he had access.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Between May 15 and May 27, Laatsch allegedly gathered more classified information, telling the undercover agent he would consider &ldquo;citizenship for your country&rdquo; or &ldquo;other compensation.&rdquo; As the 28-year-old prepared to deliver a second batch of materials on Thursday, FBI officials then arrested the former DIA employee.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; JUST IN: Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old Anti-Trump IT Specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency, has been arrested for attempting to transmit Top Secret National Defense information to a foreign government. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Zw7auYFfqz\">pic.twitter.com\/Zw7auYFfqz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Proud Elephant &#127482;&#127480;&#129413; (@ProudElephantUS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProudElephantUS\/status\/1928290626652504443?\">May 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, several federal departments have faced internal leaks. In February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dont-believe-media-noem-nailed-habeas-corpus-response-hasan-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kristi Noem<\/a> suggested that &ldquo;corrupt&rdquo; FBI agents were behind a leaked memo detailing a planned large-scale ICE raid in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Fox News&rsquo; Sean Hannity, Noem <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/02\/24\/kristi-noem-leaks-ice-raids-deportations\/\">said<\/a> DHS had identified &ldquo;some&rdquo; of the leakers and warned there would be consequences for those involved.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are continuing to get more. They will be fired. There will be consequences. And remember, when they leak information to the press in order to blow an op, they are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristi-noem-fires-dhs-leakers-plans-to-find-more\/\" title=\"Kristi ... fires DHS leakers, plans to find more\">putting law enforcement lives<\/a> in jeopardy,&rdquo; Noem said. &ldquo;They are risking their lives and putting their families in the position where they have to live without those individuals any further.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI officials announced on Thursday that Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old employee of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was arrested for allegedly trying to share national defense information with a foreign government agent. His arrest in northern Virginia followed an investigation triggered by a tip about someone offering classified information to a friendly nation. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the ongoing threat of insider risks and thanked law enforcement partners for their support. Laatsch had been with the DIA since 2019, working in its Insider Threat Division with Top Secret clearance. In March, the FBI received a tip regarding his potential threat and found messages indicating he disagreed with U.S. values and was willing to share classified materials. He unknowingly communicated with an undercover FBI agent, believing them to be from the foreign government, and over three days transcribed sensitive information at his desk. By May, he was observed handing over a thumb drive containing classified documents at a drop-off location before being arrested while preparing to deliver more materials on Thursday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2440807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Nathan-Vilas-Laatsch.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5175,56208,12646,50611],"class_list":["post-2440806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arrest","tag-defense-intel","tag-espionage","tag-national-security-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Nathan-Vilas-Laatsch.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2440806"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440806\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2440810,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2440806\/revisions\/2440810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2440807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2440806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2440806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2440806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}