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The FBI has renewed an appeal and continues to pursue Monica Witt, the former decorated US Air Force military officer who defected to Iran. On Thursday, May 14, Washington announced a $200,000 reward for any information leading to her arrest, as she has been missing since 2013.
She has become Washington’s top target. On Thursday, May 14, the FBI announced the establishment of a $200,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of Monica Elfriede Witt. A former decorated US Air Force military officer, she defected in August 2013, before being formally charged by the US justice system in February 2019. For 7 years, she has been sought after amid accusations of espionage in favor of Iran. As a result, she is one of the FBI’s most wanted individuals, even subject to an arrest warrant, as explained by Capital.
Accused of communicating classified documents to Tehran, other American spies could be at risk. Given the recent Middle East conflict, her capture has become a major issue.
Former Decorated Military Officer
Born in El Paso, Texas, Monica Witt joined the American army in 1997 at the age of eighteen. She specialized in Farsi, a strategic Persian language in operations in the Middle East—deployed in Saudi Arabia among other locations. Later, she was assigned to the US Air Force Special Investigations Unit to identify terrorist and criminal threats against the United States.
In 2008, she left the military adorned with the Air Medal, a distinction for acts of heroism, noted by Le Parisien. After leaving the military, her political views apparently changed drastically according to her close associates. She became highly critical of US foreign policy.
Following a first trip to Tehran in 2012 where she converted to Islam, Monica Witt permanently settled in Iran in 2013. According to American authorities, whom The Times refers to as the “secret weapon of the Iranian regime,” she is believed to still be in the country. She is currently actively sought after by American authorities.
“Target Dossiers” Delivered to the Revolutionary Guards
Washington specifically accuses the fugitive of putting a target on the back of her former comrades in arms. With top-secret clearance, Monica Witt provided Iran with the codenames of secret computer programs, as well as the real identities of American double agents operating undercover in the Middle East.
American authorities also discovered that she had used her expertise to aid Iranian cyber spies. By creating fake social media profiles impersonating military personnel, she helped Tehran in trapping and hacking the computers of dozens of American intelligence members. A betrayal both human and technological whose repercussions are still being felt in the midst of the crisis in the Middle East.
