US State Dept employee arrested on conspiracy charges related to defense information

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday that a State Department employee was arrested on criminal charges related to alleged participation in a conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.

The State Department employee, who works in Washington, held a top secret security clearance and had access to information up to the secret level within his department workspace, the Justice Department said in a statement.