WASHINGTON — FBI Director Robert Mueller says the bureau has launched an investigation into who leaked information about an al-Qaida plot to place an explosive device aboard a U.S.-bound airline flight.
Mueller says such leaks during ongoing law enforcement operations damage U.S. relationships with allies.
The Associated Press and other news organizations revealed details of the plot this month. A double agent working with the CIA, Saudi intelligence agencies and the British intelligence agency MI6 turned the bomb over to the U.S. government. Mueller's comment to the Senate Judiciary Committee was the first on-the-record confirmation that a Justice Department leak probe is under way.