A Lebanese-American woman is expected to face life imprisonment today when a Washington court announces its verdict regarding her espionage activities on behalf of Hezbollah. Maryam Taha Thompson was implicated in espionage for six months before being discovered in February last year, leading to her arrest. During the investigation, it was revealed that her motivation stemmed from a romantic connection with a Hezbollah member she met online, who promised her marriage although they had never met in person.
In March, Maryam heard the charges against her from a federal judge in Washington. According to American media, she began in December 2019 to gather information and names of informants working for the U.S. military in Iraq, which she passed on to her Lebanese partner, who subsequently relayed it to Hezbollah, especially following the U.S. airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds Force, in January of the previous year near Baghdad Airport.
Currently 63 years old, Maryam held a security clearance allowing her access to classified information through her work as a translator for American special operations forces, based in Erbil, northern Iraq. She admitted during questioning that she accessed military files containing the names of informants.
She also confessed that she had known the Lebanese national years before her espionage activities began, stating he expressed a desire to marry her and that she would move to Lebanon. He claimed that a relative of his worked in the Lebanese Ministry of Interior and had connections with Hezbollah members, according to court documents.
Despite never meeting the person who promised her marriage, their relationship was maintained digitally. He daringly asked her to provide information on those who assisted the United States in killing Soleimani, and Maryam quickly understood that "they" referred to Hezbollah. Fearing a breakup and the loss of her marriage dream, she began gathering crucial information to share with him.
American media reported that Maryam, previously married to an American — from whom she gained her last name — lived in Rochester, Minnesota, before her work in Iraq. It was noted that she memorized information and later transcribed it, sending it via a video messaging app from her cellphone. The FBI managed to capture a video screenshot showing her reporting to her Lebanese partner about a technique used by an American informant to collect information.
From December 30, 2019, to February 10 of the previous year, Thompson repeatedly accessed 57 files about eight government informants, obtaining their names, photos, and detailed cables, which she sent to her online fiancé. Authorities eventually raided her residence at the U.S. military facility in Erbil, discovering a handwritten note in Arabic hidden under her mattress. This note contained information about the computer systems of the U.S. Department of Defense, along with a warning about a target of the department, the nature of which has not yet been identified and may be revealed following her sentencing today.
