Senior Defense Ministry official at the center of investigation into discovery of sensitive military documents at bus stop | UK News

A senior MoD official is at the center of an investigation into how sensitive military documents – including one marked ‘Secret UK Eyes Only’ – ended up behind a bus stop in Kent , according to Sky News.

Defense Ministry police began investigating the breach last week after a member of the public found the files, which included classified information on UK plans in Afghanistan and details of the movements of a British warship off the coast of Russia– claimed Crimea.

A Whitehall source said the senior official misplaced the documents, which were discovered last Tuesday.

The packet was forwarded to the BBC, which first reported on their existence on Sunday.

Sky News chose not to name the official for security reasons at the request of the Defense Ministry, as the investigation into what happened is still ongoing.

A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the affected employee reported the loss of the files at the time of the incident.

“The Defense Ministry was informed last week of an incident in which sensitive defense documents were recovered by a member of the public,” the spokesperson said.

“The department takes information security very seriously and an investigation has been opened. The affected employee reported the loss at the time. It would be inappropriate to comment further.”

The Whitehall source said there was disbelief and anger within the Department of Defense over what had happened.

The most serious concern was about the document, titled “Secret UK Eyes Only,” which sets out very sensitive recommendations for the UK’s military presence in Afghanistan after the US and others. NATO forces leave the country by September.

They included an American request for British support in a number of specific areas and addressed the question of whether British special forces would remain in place …