David Cartwright, a retired general who was once the second highest ranking officer in the American military, is being investigated by the US Department of Justice as the possible source of a New York Times article that shed light on American cyber attacks against Iran.
According to a report by NBC, Cartwright is suspected of having leaked information regarding Stuxnet, a worm which in 2010 was responsible for temporarily disabling 1,000 centrifuges used for uranium enrichment by Iran.
It is claimed the malware attack set back the country's nuclear programme significantly, although Mahmoud Ahmedinajad, who was president of Iran at the time, claimed the damage was limited.
The New York Times' article also gave insight into an alleged covert US cyberwarfare project, dubbed Operation Olympic Games, which is said to have commenced under the presidency of George W Bush and been accelerated under president Obama.
The New York Times article, which was based on interviews with a range of American, European and Israeli officials involved in the programme, claimed it was Cartwright who originally proposed the scheme to Bush.
Both the Department of Justice and US attorney's office have declined to comment on NBC's allegations.
The news comes as Edward Snowden, another US whistleblower and former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who revealed himself to be the source of the PRISM and Tempora leaks, continues to be stranded in the transit lounge of a Russian airport.
Snowden is understood to be trying to make his way to Ecuador in order to claim asylum, however his passport has been revoked, leaving him unable to travel further.
While Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the NSA, has called on Russia to expel Snowden without delay, President Obama has more recently said he will not engage in "wheeling and dealing" with other nations to secure the whistleblower's return to the USA.
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