A spy for Hezbollah in the hands of the American forces in Kurdistan
March 7, 2020, 6:14 am

A spy for Hezbollah in the hands of the American forces in Kurdistan

Official sources in the Kurdistan region announced that the American Special Forces arrested a woman in Arbil on charges of spying for the Lebanese Hezbollah.

A federal court in Washington has previously accused a US military contracted linguist in Iraq of passing information that includes the names of informants working for the US military to people linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The indictment stated that Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, began working as a contracted linguist with the US Special Forces in Erbil in Iraq in mid-December 2019, and her security clearance was top secret.

The decision also added that a day after American fighters launched raids on December 29 on centers of Iraqi factions allied with Iran, Mariam began looking up computer files on the US military that include the identities of US military human sources in addition to the information they provided, according to Al Arabiya.

The sources confirmed that after the arrest of Mariam on February 27, she confessed to the agents she had passed along information on the informants to a Lebanese national in whom she had a romantic interest. In addition to a warning for a Hezbollah-linked target of US military intelligence, according to the indictment.

In turn, the US Department of Justice confirmed in a statement that the Lebanese national is related to a Lebanese government official and "has apparent connections to Hezbollah."

"Mariam Taha Thompson accessed dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the United States government" the statement added.

Thompson was charged with transmitting national defense information to representatives of a foreign government - Hezbollah of Lebanon - the maximum penalty for which is life imprisonment.

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”