US nuclear worker took software to Iran - FBI

Source: Reuters

LOS ANGELES, April 21 (Reuters) - A former engineer at the largest U.S. nuclear power plant was arrested on suspicion of taking software codes and using them to download details of plant control rooms and reactors while in Iran, officials said on Saturday.

The software involved was used to train plant operators and there was no indication of a terrorist connection, said Deborah McCarley, an FBI spokeswoman in Phoenix.

The FBI arrested Mohammad Alavi, who worked at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station outside Phoenix, earlier this month at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived on a flight from Iran, she said.

He is charged with a single count of violating a trade embargo that bars Americans from exporting goods and services to Iran.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N21217676.htm

hhhmmmmm....

Defense Security Service (read 'about' DSS)

http://www.dss.mil/

This outfit formerly had the time to spy on Rev Martin Luther King, Jr, but now seems incapable of providing the nu-ku-lar security measures from being outsourced soon enough to Mullahs in waiting. This is like the Al Qa Qa weapons dump being unsecured in occupied Iraq. How bad can this get ? Maybe Ptech can tell us !

... Watching right wing pundits masturbate is gross. :puke:

and we have Iranians working at nuclear power plants

Bush is so full of it

From the article:

This looks more like a case of industrial espionage
inspired by greed and opportunity.

Acording a related AP article, Alavi is accused of using the software and his access
codes in Iran to download additional training materials. He was arrested at the airport
as soon as he returned to the U.S.

Two obvious questions are why the plant allowed net access from Iran and why it
failed to disable Alavi's access codes when he left the company.

:kick:

Source: WCVB-TV

Nuclear Engineer Accused Of Taking Codes To Iran
FBI Doesn't Think There Were Terrorist Connections

PHOENIX -- A former engineer at the nation's largest nuclear power plant has been charged with taking computer access codes and software to Iran and using it to download details of plant control rooms and reactors, authorities said.

- snip -

Mohammad Alavi, who worked at the triple-reactor Palo Verde power plant west of Phoenix, was arrested April 9 at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived on a flight from Iran, authorities said.

Alavi, 49, is a U.S. citizen and denies any wrongdoing, said his attorney, Milagros Cisneros of the Federal Defender's Office in Phoenix. He is charged with a single count of violating a trade embargo that prohibits Americans from exporting goods and services to Iran. If convicted, he would face up to 21 months in prison.

According to court records, the software is used only for training plant employees, but allowed users access to details on the Palo Verde control rooms and the plant layout. In October, authorities alleged, the software was used to download training materials from Tehran, using a Palo Verde user identification.

MORE

Read more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/12820888/detail.html

He's a petty thief.