WASHINGTON — A scientist credited with helping discover evidence of water on the moon was arrested Monday on charges of attempting to pass along classified information to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer.
Stewart David Nozette, 52, of Chevy Chase, Md., was charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to communicate, deliver and transmit classified information, the Justice Department said.
Nozette worked in varying jobs for the Energy Department, NASA and — in 1989 and 1990 — the National Space Council in the president’s office. He developed the Clementine bi-static radar experiment that is credited with discovering water on the south pole of the moon. He also worked at the Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he designed highly advanced technology, from about 1990 to 1999.
At Energy, Nozette held a special security clearance equivalent to the Defense Department’s top secret and “critical nuclear weapon design information” clearances.
Nozette also held top offices at the Alliance for Competitive Technology, a nonprofit corporation that he organized. Between January 2000 and February 2006, Nozette, through his company, had several agreements to develop advanced technology for the U.S. government.
Police slayings fall sharply
The number of police officers slain in the line of duty fell sharply last year, according to FBI data released Monday. Bureau statistics list 41 law enforcement officers killed in 2008, down from 58 in 2007. The list includes one FBI agent. Felony killings of police officers haven’t been that low since 1999, when 42 were killed, the FBI said. Police officer support groups — which use different standards to count officer killings — say the number of officers killed hasn’t been this low since the 1960s.
Hawaii: Pacific commander takes reins
A fighter pilot who made a cameo appearance in “Top Gun” has taken over as the top U.S. military commander in Asia and the Pacific. Adm. Robert Willard assumed control of the U.S. Pacific Command in a Monday ceremony. The F-14 fighter pilot spent the last two years heading the U.S. Pacific Fleet and its 180 ships, 1,500 aircraft and 125,000 military personnel. Willard was a consultant and flight choreographer on the 1986 film “Top Gun.” He also portrayed a Soviet MiG-28 pilot who wore a black helmet and took on Tom Cruise, who famously gave Willard’s character “the bird” while flying upside-down above him.
California: Homeless man arrested in wildfire probe
A homeless man was arrested and charged with one felony count of recklessly causing a fire, accused of starting a tiny blaze in August near the spot where a gigantic wildfire erupted several days later, killing two firefighters, homicide detectives said Monday. Babatunsin Olukunle, 25, a Nigerian, is the strongest lead to date in the arson investigation stemming from the Station fire, which destroyed 89 homes, burned 250 square miles of national forest and killed two firefighters when their truck plunged off a road. Authorities said Olukunle started a fire that charred an area about the size of a table top on Aug. 20 and was quickly extinguished by two U.S. Forest Service workers who happened to be passing and spotted smoke. Six days later and six miles down the same road, the devastating Station Fire broke out.
Nevada: Sentence in Las Vegas casino shooting
A 53-year-old unemployed house painter apologized to his victims before he was sentenced Monday to 26 to 90 years in prison for opening fire with a handgun and wounding four people in a Las Vegas Strip casino more than two years ago. Steven Francis Zegrean’s gun jammed after the 16th shot and he was tackled by two off-duty military reservists on a balcony at the New York-New York casino early July 6, 2007. His lawyers and his only defense witness, a clinical neuropsychologist, said Zegrean had hoped police responding to the gunfire would shoot him dead.
Mexico: Rick now a tropical storm
Forecasters say Hurricane Rick, which once had winds up to 180 mph, has weakened to a tropical storm as it approaches the southern tip of Baja California. Meanwhile, forecasters have issued a hurricane watch for an island far south of Hawaii for Tropical Storm Neki, which could be a hurricane by Wednesday.
Austria: Nuclear alks with Iran
A first day of talks in Vienna to get Iran to send most of its enriched uranium abroad — and thus delay its potential to make a nuclear weapon — ended inconclusively Monday, with Tehran remaining uncommitted, diplomats said. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei said the negotiations between Iran and the U.S., Russia and France got off to a “good start.” However, three diplomats, who were familiar with the discussions, suggested little was accomplished outside of both sides outlining their positions.
Uganda: Man crowned king was former U.S. nurse’s aide
For years, Charles Wesley Mumbere worked as a nurse’s aide in Maryland and Pennsylvania, caring for the elderly and sick. No one there suspected that he had inherited a royal title in his African homeland when he was just 13. On Monday, after years of political upheaval and financial struggle, Mumbere, 56, was finally crowned king of his 300,000-strong Rwenzururu Kingdom. The government recognizes seven kingdoms.
From Herald news services
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