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Lost data official to be charged | |
(10 minutes later) | |
The Cabinet Office official who left top-secret documents on a train in June is to be charged under the Official Secrets Act, the BBC has learned. | |
The man was on secondment from the Ministry of Defence when he left two highly classified documents on a train to Waterloo. | |
The documents were passed to the BBC before being handed over to the police. | The documents were passed to the BBC before being handed over to the police. |
It is the least sensitive charge under the act and there is no suggestion of criminal intent. | It is the least sensitive charge under the act and there is no suggestion of criminal intent. |
BBC defence correspondent Frank Gardner said the move came as a surprise to many in Whitehall. | BBC defence correspondent Frank Gardner said the move came as a surprise to many in Whitehall. |
The employee, who cannot be named, is being charged under section 8.1 of the act, the clause which deals with safeguarding information. | |
The Crown Prosecution Service recommended the official should be charged by the Metropolitan Police due to the highly sensitive nature of his work on the Joint Intelligence Committee. | |
The documents he misplaced contained classified assessments about al-Qaeda and the capabilities of Iraq's security forces. | |
He was informed of the decision on Monday morning and was moved from his home to an undisclosed location. |