“During their first meeting in a park in Hampton, Va., Awwad explained to ‘Yousef’ that he intended to use his position to obtain military technology for use by the Egyptian government, including but not limited to, the designs of the USS Gerald Ford nuclear aircraft carrier.” Why he would think that the current Egyptian government would be interested in learning how to sink an American military vessel with a missile is unclear. So is his connection, if any, to jihadists and the global jihad. At very least, however, his story indicates how easy it would be for jihadists to get into positions where they would have access to sensitive information.
“Saudi-born US naval engineer allegedly gave undercover agent info on how to sink carrier,” FoxNews.com, December 6, 2014:
A Naval engineer is facing charges that he gave an FBI undercover agent posing as an Egyptian intelligence officer secret documents about the new Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier while discussing how to sink the vessel with a missile.
Mostafa Ahmed Awwad, 35, of Yorktown, Va., was arrested Friday on an FBI affidavit that reads like it came from a Tom Clancy novel.
Federal prosecutors in Virginia say that during his conversations with the undercover, Awwad arranged to use a dead-drop location along a secluded hiking trail to pass secrets about the Ford, which is being built in Virginia for delivery to the Navy in 2016.
The affidavit says that at a hotel meeting on Oct. 9 Awwad gave the undercover drawings of the aircraft carrier that he said were top secret. During the meeting, “Awwad discussed where to strike the vessel with a missile in order to sink it,” the affidavit says.
The FBI undercover was posing as an Egyptian spy named “Yousef” and spoke to Awwad in Arabic.
The Virginian Pilot said Saturday that Awwad cried as he was led into the courtroom for a brief hearing before a federal magistrate judge in Norfolk. He wore a pink collared shirts, sweater vest and tan pants, the paper said.
The judge ordered Awwad detained until a hearing Wednesday.
The indictment accuses Awwad of two counts of attempted exportation of defense articles and technical data. Each count is punishable by 20 years in prison.
The affidavit says Awwad was born in Saudia [sic] Arabia and married a U.S. citizen in Cairo in 2007. After his marriage he took steps to become an American citizen.
The court papers also say the Navy hired Awwad to work in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s nuclear engineering and planning department in February and that he got a security clearance in August.
The FBI sting began in September when the undercover contacted Awwad. The court papers do not say why Awwad became a target.
During their first meeting in a park in Hampton, Va., Awwad explained to “Yousef” that he intended to use his position to obtain military technology for use by the Egyptian government, including but not limited to, the designs of the USS Gerald Ford nuclear aircraft carrier….