SRINAGAR: Ashley J Tellis, a prominent foreign policy scholar and defence strategist of Indian origin, has been arrested in the United States for allegedly retaining classified national defence information, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said, according to Reuters.
Ashley Tellis, 64, who served on the National Security Council of former Republican President George W Bush and is listed in an FBI court affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and a Pentagon contractor, was arrested at the weekend and charged on Monday, the documents seen on Tuesday showed.
According to court filings, investigators are examining claims that Tellis unlawfully removed classified material from secure locations and held meetings with Chinese officials. US Attorney Lindsey Halligan said the alleged conduct posed “a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens.”
If convicted, Tellis faces a prison term of up to ten years, a fine of 250,000 Dollars, and forfeiture of the seized materials. Authorities emphasised that the complaint remains an allegation and that Tellis is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Tellis, widely regarded as one of Washington’s leading experts on South Asian security and US–India relations, has held several key positions within the US government, including as senior adviser to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and as special assistant to President George W Bush on the National Security Council. He played a pivotal role in negotiating the US–India Civil Nuclear Agreement.
Before entering government service, Tellis worked as a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and taught international relations. His published works include Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia and Revising US Grand Strategy Toward China.
Federal prosecutors said a judge will decide bond conditions later this week as the case moves forward.
