The investigation of US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk's mishandling of classified information is not limited to his current term as ambassador, but involves previous periods, including the time he served as assistant secretary of state, reported the Jerusalem Post newspaper, quoting a US official as saying.
"This is shaping up to be a very serious investigation. He was warned repeatedly about his lapses in securing materials and handling classified material and using electronic equipment over the last couple of years, including his time as assistant secretary of Near East affairs," one Democratic congressional aide was quoted by the Israeli daily.
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted government sources as saying that Indyk allegedly put classified material on an unclassified laptop used to connect to the Internet.
"This is a question of security procedures that have not been followed," said State Department spokesman Philip Reeker.
"As the matter deals with Privacy Act issues and an ongoing investigation, we can't comment further," he said.
The Indyk investigation revolves around a pattern of alleged security transgressions that occurred while he was assistant secretary of state and continued into his present position as ambassador, government sources told the agency.
One source said Indyk had been admonished to take more care in handling confidential material while assistant secretary of state.
One of the allegations is that Indyk, while ambassador, wrote classified information on an unsecured laptop in public places, for instance, whilst traveling on a non-government airplane, the agency said.
"If you're not adhering to security guidelines outside of our borders the risk increases tremendously," one source said - (Several Sources)
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