U.S. Engineer Indicted for Passing Secrets to Israel

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U.S. engineer indicted for passing secrets to Israel

By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent

An American engineer standing trial for spying and revealing secrets to China has also been indicted for passing secrets to Israel. The indictment filed against Noshir Gowadia, 62, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, does not provide details to the nature of the secrets passed to Israel or to whom they were given. If convicted, Gowadia could face the death penalty.

The secrets revealed to China are the primary allegations in the indictment, and those revealed to Israel secondary. Gowadia is also alleged to have delivered U.S. secrets to Germany and Switzerland.

The indictment indicated that Gowadia's motivations were financial only.

Gowadia is charged with passing information for an unspecified period to business sources in Israel, although he in no instance received payment for his services.

The identities of the Israeli sources have also not been disclosed, nor whether they were private businesspeople or firms.

The indictment does not refer to the Israeli government as being involved in the matter.

Gowadia, formerly a professor of aeronautics at Purdue University in Indiana, is considered one of the leading engineers in the field of the weapons and aircraft development.

He had previously worked at Northrop Grumman Corporation on the B-2 stealth bomber and at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

According to the indictment, Gowadia helped China build and use essential components of a stealth cruise missile using technical knowledge he had gained while working in the U.S. defense establishment.

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