The FBI is trying to calculate the national security damage allegedly wrought by one of its own agents, Robert Philip Hanssen, accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years. FBI Director Louis Freeh says the intelligence losses appear to be "exceptionally grave."
An FBI affidavit describing Hanssen's alleged spying said he passed along to Soviet and later Russian agents 6,000 pages of documents -- a virtual catalogue of top secret and secret programs.
The case marked the third time that an FBI agent has been accused of espionage, and it brought a quick reaction from President George W. Bush and members of Congress on Tuesday.
"Allegations of espionage are a reminder that we live in a dangerous world, a world that sometimes does not share American values," Bush said in a statement he read to reporters on Air Force One.
Declaring that espionage remains a threat to the nation even with the Cold War gone, the president added: "To anyone who would betray its trust, I warn you, we'll find you and we'll bring you to justice."
"This could be a very, very, very serious case of espionage," said Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"Here's an agent who is a veteran of the FBI, who's been doing counterintelligence for a long time. He knows a lot. He could have given them a lot," Shelby said.
Freeh told a news conference: "The full extent of the damage done is yet unknown, because no accurate damage assessment could be done during the course of the covert investigation without jeopardizing it. We believe, however, that it was exceptionally grave. The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the rule of law."
Freeh said security measures need to be tightened, and he ordered an internal review to be headed by William Webster, a former FBI and CIA director.
"We don't say, at this stage ... that we have a system that can prevent this type of conduct," Freeh said.
Hanssen, a 25-year FBI agent, was arrested Sunday night at a park in suburban Virginia after dropping a package of documents for his Russian contacts, authorities said. FBI agents confiscated US$50,000 hidden for him at a nearby drop site.
An FBI affidavit alleged that Hanssen betrayed his country for about US$1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
Operating under the codename Ramon, Hanssen kept his identity and occupation secret from the Russians, Freeh said. He said Hanssen frequently ran his name, address and his drop sites through FBI computers to see if they had raised any alarms.
A court hearing was set for March 5 for the father of six, who was charged with espionage and conspiracy to commit espionage.
The 56-year-old Hanssen, who could face the death penalty, appeared briefly in US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday to have the charges read and was ordered held without bond.
He also could be fined up to US$2.8 million -- twice his alleged personal gain from the activities of which he is accused.
Outside the courthouse, Plato Cacheris, Hanssen's attorney, said he believes federal authorities "always talk like they have a great case, but we'll see."
Asked how Hanssen would plead, Cacheris said "at this point not guilty," but he added "it's very embryonic."
In one letter cited in the FBI's affidavit, the writer, allegedly Hanssen, said he was encouraged by the memoirs of the notorious British-Soviet double agent Kim Philby.
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