Los Alamos Disks May Hold U.S. Secrets

The contract employee at the center of a possible security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory had a high-level clearance that may have given her special access to intelligence intercepts and other closely held national secrets, sources familiar with the case said yesterday.

The FBI is examining at least three computer disks that police in Los Alamos, N.M., discovered last week during a search of a suspected drug dealer's trailer home, according to the FBI and other agencies. A woman who was living at the home and worked for a Los Alamos subcontractor has been linked to the disks by investigators, officials said.

Authorities said the disks appear to contain classified material. An FBI search warrant filed in connection with the case has been sealed.

The investigation -- which was revealed publicly on Tuesday -- is the latest potential embarrassment for the Los Alamos lab, which is under new management and undergoing changes designed to improve security. The lab is one of the nation's three nuclear-weapons-research facilities.

Los Alamos Director Michael Anastasio confirmed the potential breach of security in a statement yesterday. He said that the lab is cooperating with the FBI and is implementing extra security measures.

"This is a serious matter, and we are taking immediate steps to address it," Anastasio said, adding that "we intend to do everything possible to guard against any criminal activity, particularly where a breach of security may be involved."

The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees Los Alamos, said it has begun its own investigation and has sent a "cyber security team" to New Mexico to review procedures.

The case began after the Los Alamos Police Department responded to an Oct. 17 domestic dispute complaint at the home. Officers found drug paraphernalia and other evidence of methamphetamine trafficking, officials said. A search through records in the home revealed the computer disks, and the FBI was notified.

FBI spokesman Bill Elwell in Albuquerque said no charges have been filed.

"We are at the stage of going through the evidence and assessing its importance," he said.

Staff writer Walter Pincus contributed to this report.