NEW DELHI: In a development that has sent ripples through Washington’s policy and diplomatic circles and caused repercussions in India, Ashley Tellis, a long-time U.S. government adviser and South Asia expert, has been charged by FBI with unlawfully retaining national defense information and holding repeated meetings with officials from the People’s Republic of China, according to federal court filings.

A criminal complaint and affidavit filed on 13 October, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia accuses Tellis of removing classified documents from secure government facilities and storing them at his residence in Vienna, Virginia.

The 10-page affidavit, submitted by FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Scott, outlines months of surveillance and a detailed timeline of allege

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