FBI arrests former special operations employee over secret leak

The  Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a former member of the U.S. Special Operations Command for allegedly leaking classified information to a media representative, FBI Director Kash Patel announced on the social media platform X.

🚨🚨 FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.

Outstanding work by @FBICharlotte and the FBI Counterintelligence & Espionage Division…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 8, 2026

Patel warned that the arrest should serve as a clear signal to potential leakers. “Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” he said.

Sources suggest the leaked material may relate to an operation to locate a U.S. Air Force pilot in Iran. 

By Vugar Khalilov