A security consultant who held a "top secret" government clearance inside Australia's only nuclear facility has been arrested and charged with the illegal possession of "official secrets" and an unauthorised weapon.
Until February last year, Anthony Rami Haddad, 40, was manager of security and operations at the Lucas Height's nuclear reactor, safeguarding the site against theft, diversion and sabotage.
However, following a stint in the Middle East where he worked on another nuclear security project, he returned home to Sydney, and last month became entangled in an unrelated investigation being run by the Australian Federal Police's Fraud and Anti-Corruption team.
A fortnight ago, Haddad appeared before Sydney's Downing Centre where he pleaded guilty to unauthorised receipt of official secrets, under the Commonwealth Crimes Act.
He has yet to enter a plea for a second charge, possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm. His barrister, Nikolaos Siafakas, will apply to have the outstanding matter dealt with under section 32 of the Mental Health Act.
Haddad is the director of Security Advisers Australia which provides services to a number of government agencies and "critical infrastructure owners", such as "security risk and threat management".
Court documents confirm the "official secrets" charge relates to a "prescribed document" that Haddad obtained sometime in January while knowing, or having reasonable grounds to believe, he was "not authorised to receive it".
While the contents of that sensitive material remain unknown, Fairfax Media understands it holds no connection to his work in the nuclear field and did not compromise national security.
On Friday, a spokesman for the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) said it had been made aware, by the AFP, of the arrest and charges.
He added: "ANSTO is not aware of any concerns being raised about his work for us, including internally or from the AFP, and including while he was working here, or since he resigned."
Of the ongoing protection plan in place at Lucas Heights, he added: "ANSTO security is, appropriately, some of the strongest in the country. It is intelligence-led and can be scaled upwards quickly based on regularly reviewed risk and threat assessments."
In a May 2015 interview with Australian Security Magazine, Haddad revealed how a weekend course in security, while training for a career in the hotel industry, led to a career as a senior nuclear security advisor.
According to his company's website, he has a number of government clients, operates internationally and possesses "clearance levels" that range between "secret" and "top secret".
Between June 2013 and February 2015, his senior role with ANSTO saw him work daily, alongside the AFP, to ensure the site remained secure.
During that time, he travelled to Taiwan and joined security specialists from around the world on an international training course that covered the physical protection of nuclear facilities and materials.
According to ANSTO documents, Haddad's many responsibilities at Lucas Heights included the "management of security operations" at the onsite Little Forest radioactive waste dump and its "seamless integration" into the facility's "wider" protective security systems.
Aside from the AFP, he was listed as one of only two emergency contacts in the event of a "security incident".
However, after 20 months on the campus, Fairfax Media understands he resigned and took up a position in the UAE, to assist in the development of a nuclear security plan in Abu Dhabi.
Haddad declined to speak to Fairfax Media when approached on Friday. The AFP said that because the matter was still before the court, it was not in a position to comment.
Haddad will reappear in the Downing Centre Local Court on February 7.
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