Indian-Origin US State Dept Official Ashley Tellis Arrested For Keeping Classified Documents

A US State Department employee has been arrested and charged with unlawfully removing and retaining classified government documents and allegedly meeting multiple times with Chinese officials over the last two years.

Court filings revealed that Mumbai-born Ashley Tellis, who served on the National Security Council of former Republican President George W. Bush and an unpaid senior adviser to the State Department, was arrested on Saturday and charged on Monday, news agency Reuters reported citing the court documents.

Tellis, 64, was regarded as a leading expert on India and South Asian affairs during his tenure. He studied at St. Xavier’s College before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He also holds an MA in political science from the University of Chicago.