Sept 27 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Federal Aviation Administration contractor Abouzar Rahmati has been indicted for acting as an agent of the Iranian government, the U.S. Justice Department said on Friday.

Rahmati, 42, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Virginia, made his initial appearance in a Washington, D.C., court on Friday, DOJ said.

According to the indictment, Rahmati conspired with Iranian intelligence operatives, obtained employment with an FAA contractor and provided non-public materials about the U.S. solar energy industry to Iranian intelligence, DOJ said.

Reuters was unable to contact Rahmati for comment. Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York did not respond to a request for comment.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ex-us-faa-contractor-indicted-acting-an-iran-agent-says-doj-2024-09-27/