WASHINGTON -- A civilian engineer working at an Army command facility near Detroit has admitted divulging classified military information to Israeli officials over the past 10 years, and his home has been searched under a warrant that cited probable violation of espionage statutes, according to federal court papers.
The engineer, David A. Tenenbaum of Southfield, Mich., has not been arrested or charged with any crime but remains under investigation, FBI officials said Wednesday. He told Pentagon investigators that he had "inadvertently" provided Israeli arms purchasing officials with secret data on the performance of he Patriot missile defense system, the Bradley fighting vehicle, new forms of ceramic armor and other weapons systems, according to an FBI affidavit filed to obtain a search warrant of Tenenbaum's home.
Tenenbaum's admission came during a security clearance interview Thursday, and the search was conducted over the weekend.
Tenenbaum had contact with Israeli officials because his command was involved with production of arms sold to foreign governments. In Israel, the government denied any wrongdoing in dealings with him.
"There has been no improper contact between Tenenbaum and any official body or institution of the state of Israel," David Bar Illan, chief spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said late Wednesday night.
Tenenbaum is a mechanical engineer at the headquarters of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren Mich. With a force of 10,000 people worldwide the command oversees the development, purchase and support of tanks, trucks and other Army vehicles and weapons systems.
Foreign officials are routinely stationed at TACOM and other military commands involved in the production of equipment sold to foreign governments, Army officials said Wednesday.
Tenenbaum told federal investigators that he had given "non-releasable classified information to every Israeli liaison officer assigned to TACOM over the past 10 years," according to the FBI affidavit. Tenenbaum also said that he had given secret information to a high ranking Israeli Defense Department official.