A computer containing veterans’ information that was stolen in early August has been recovered and a man has been arrested for the crime. The computer, stolen from a Unisys Corp. building in Reston, Va., contained the names, Social Security numbers, and other information for 16,000 Veterans being treated in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas. The Veterans Affairs Inspector General and FBI joint announcement said Khalil Abdullah-Raheem, 21, of Washington D.C., had been charged in federal court with stealing government property and released on $50,000 bond. The IG and FBI do not believe the data was the target of the theft, but FBI forensic analysts are trying to determine whether the data has been comprised. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) praised the FBI and the IG for recovering the computer, calling it a “shining moment.” He added, “This is the second time law enforcement has come through. Let’s hope there is no need for a third time.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.