Former US intelligence contractor arrested

The US Justice Department has charged a Maryland man with theft of classified government material, according to a criminal complaint unsealed today. 

The Justice Department identified the man as Harold Thomas Martin, 51, and said he worked as a government contractor. 

Martin has been charged with theft of government property and the unauthorised removal and retention of classified materials. 

According to the New York Times, Martin worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the same consulting firm that employed Edward Snowden when he revealed the collection of metadata by the National Security Agency. 

The article also claims the arrest could be connected to the leak of intrusion and surveillance tools purportedly stolen from a hacking group linked to the NSA in August. 

According to the DoJ's criminal complaint, six documents investigators found in Martin's possession allegedly contained sensitive intelligence and were produced by a US government agency in 2014. 

"These six documents were produced through sensitive government sources, methods, and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues," the complaint said. 

Martin had a top secret national security clearance and the ability to access US government property that was not permitted to leave its authorised location, according to the criminal complaint.