What secrets do Courtney Williams and Seth Happ share? All you need to know about the arrest of a Fort Bragg Special Forces veteran

Courtney WilliamsThe 40-year-old served as a civilian operations support technician for a special military unit at Fort Bragg from 2010 to 2016, according to court documents cited by The Associated Press.

Investigators said she had a top-secret clearance that gave her access to highly sensitive material related to military operations, including tactics and procedures used in “sensitive missions.”

While the charging documents do not explicitly name Harp, the details are consistent with his book “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and related reports.

According to an FBI affidavit, Williams and the reporter exchanged more than 180 messages and spoke for more than 10 hours. Authorities said the information included material she was not authorized to disclose.

Also read: Courtney Williams: 5 things to know about the veteran accused of leaking Delta Force secrets to reporter Seth Harp

In one message cited by investigators, Williams reportedly expressed concern about how much sensitive information was being made public, saying she was “concerned about the amount of confidential information being disclosed.”

Court documents also reference a conversation between Williams and her mother in which she allegedly acknowledged the risks.

“I could actually be arrested, and I didn’t even get a free copy of the book,” she said, according to the indictment. When asked why, she reportedly replied: “For leaking confidential information.”

Officials have taken a tough stance on the case. FBI officials said in a statement from the Justice Department that anyone who shares protected information would “compromise our national security.”

He argued that the prosecution was “an act of retaliation,” suggesting Williams was targeted for exposing wrongdoing rather than endangering national security.

Also read: Intel warns Iran of attacking US targets during war, White House ‘downplays’ risk: report

Williams has been charged under the Espionage Act and ordered detained pending a further hearing.

Prosecutors allege her actions put U.S. military personnel and allies at risk, and the defense is expected to argue that her disclosures were related to exposing internal wrongdoing.