US arrests Indian-origin scholar Ashley Tellis for mishandling classified documents — and dining with Chinese officials
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US arrests Indian-origin scholar Ashley Tellis for mishandling classified documents — and dining with Chinese officials")
File Photo: Ashley Tellis, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Photograph: (AFP)
US-based India expert Ashley Tellis has been charged with unlawfully keeping classified material and allegedly meeting Chinese officials. Here's all you need to know.
Ashley Tellis, a prominent US scholar on India who has long advised Washington on South Asia policy, has been charged with unlawfully retaining classified information and allegedly meeting with Chinese officials, US prosecutors said Tuesday. 64-year-old Tellis stands accused of keeping more than 1,000 pages of top-secret and secret documents at his home, according to a criminal affidavit. The Justice Department said he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
How was Tellis caught?
As per a federal affidavit, investigators found over 1,000 pages of top-secret and secret material at Tellis’s home. According to an AFP report, citing prosecutors, Tellis, who was serving as an unpaid State Department adviser, was seen printing from a classified document on US Air Force techniques on September 25. He allegedly met several times with Chinese government officials at a restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia. During one such dinner with Chinese government officials, Tellis allegedly carried a manila envelope that he did not appear to leave with; at others, Chinese officials allegedly handed him gift bags.
He was arrested Saturday (Oct 11), the same day he was scheduled to fly to Rome, officials said. The State Department confirmed his arrest but declined further comment. Lawyers for Tellis have not yet commented on the charges.
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Who is Ashley Tellis?
Ashley Tellis, as per reports, is a naturalised US citizen from India. He is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and previously helped negotiate the landmark US–India civil nuclear deal under President George W. Bush.
In recent years, he has been a vocal critic of Washington’s approach to India, arguing that New Delhi’s strategic alignment was at odds with Washington. He warned that New Delhi often acts independently of US strategic goals, citing its ties with Russia and Iran.
