Navy engineer charged with trying to send information to Egypt on new U.S. aircraft carrier

Mostafa Ahmed Awwad, a civilian engineer who gained security clearance from the Navy four months ago, was arrested on Friday and charged with trying to sell information about the U.S. Navy's latest aircraft carrier, The Virginian-Pilot reports.

The Navy's Gerald R. Ford carrier cost $12.9 billion and includes "a whole lot of new technology…we haven't seen before," said Fred Metz, a retired rear admiral who formerly led the Navy's carrier and air-station program.

The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched the so-called "false flag" operation on Awwad, 35, in September. An FBI agent posing as an Egyptian intelligence official met with Awwad and the two agreed that the engineer would provide information on the schematics for the Gerald Ford in exchange for money. Court documents did not outline why Awwad was targeted.

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