Who is Ashley Tellis? India-origin defence strategist arrested over secret documents in US

The strategy expert has spent over 20 years in Washington’s policy groups. He joined the State Department in 2001, and has served under multiple US governments, including those of Donald Trump and George W Bush.

A well-known defence strategist, India-United States expert, and policy maker, Ashley J Tellis has been arrested and charged with illegally retaining classified national defence information, according to a federal court in Virginia.

He was arrested over the weekend and charged on Monday, the court documents seen on Tuesday showed, according to Reuters.

The affidavit said a search of Tellis' residence in Vienna, Virginia, on Saturday uncovered over a thousand pages of classified documents with top secret and secret markings.

The FBI affidavit accompanying the charge document said that in September and October this year Tellis entered Defense and State Department buildings and was observed accessing and printing classified documents, including about military aircraft capabilities, and leaving by car with a leather briefcase or bag, as reported by Reuters.

The documents also said Tellis had met Chinese government officials on multiple occasions over the past years. The meetings included a September 15 dinner at a restaurant Virginia, in Fairfax, at which it said Tellis arrived with a manila envelope, which he did not appear to have when he left.

A State Department official confirmed to Reuters that he was arrested on Saturday, but declined to comment on it further. A Pentagon official said it does not comment on ongoing proceedings. A Justice Department statement said that if convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Who is Ashley Tellis?

Ashley Tellis, 64, served in the National Security Council of former Republican President George W Bush and is listed in an FBI court affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and a Pentagon contractor.

The Mumbai-born expert obtained his PhD in political science from the University of Chicago. He also holds BA and MA degrees in economics from the University of Bombay, and an MA in political science from the University of Chicago.

He also authored various books. Some of his works include Striking Asymmetries: Nuclear Transitions in Southern Asia, and India’s Emerging Nuclear Posture. He also published Atoms for War? US-Indian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation and India's Nuclear Arsenal.

The strategy expert has spent over 20 years in Washington’s policy groups. He joined the State Department in 2001, and has served under multiple governments, including those of Donald Trump and George W Bush.

Tellis is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.