Affidavit: Spy suspect had codes, numbers

Federal authorities say Regan had access to classified documents while working at the National Reconnaissance Office.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A retired Air Force sergeant charged with espionage Friday was carrying coded messages and had a list of names and addresses hidden in his shoe at the time of his arrest, according to a government affidavit.

Brian Regan, 38, appeared briefly Friday at the U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where he learned he would face charges that he "knowingly conspired to commit espionage" and tried to deliver information that would incur "injury" to the United States and benefit another country.

A U.S. official said Saturday that the other country is Libya.

U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Curtis Sewell ordered Regan held without bond pending a detention hearing Wednesday to determine conditions for the bond.

VIDEO Brian Regan, who worked for the U.S. spy satellite agency, was arrested as he attempted to board a flight for Switzerland (August 24) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MORE STORIES Suspect's intelligence career busy, but average     EXTRA INFORMATION Timeline: High-profile U.S. spy cases of the last two decades   From FindLaw: Criminal Complaint (U.S. v. Regan)  (Adobe Acrobat required)     LEGAL RESOURCES Latest Legal News Law Library FindLaw Consumer Center Select a topic Bankruptcy Discrimination Divorce Estate Planning Landlord-Tenant Personal Injury Taxes

Regan, a civilian who worked on a government spy satellite program, had been arrested a day earlier at Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia, shortly before boarding a flight to Switzerland -- and after telling co-workers he was heading to Orlando for a family vacation.

After his court appearance, federal officials released a 19-page affidavit spelling out Regan's alleged activities and accusing him of "transmitting classified U.S. national defense information to a person he believed was an agent of a foreign government."

Prior to the arrest, the affidavit said, authorities discovered a carry-on bag in Regan's car containing several pages of coded messages, phone numbers of diplomatic offices in Switzerland and Austria belonging to at least two unidentified countries, and a global positioning device "used to locate ... drop or signal sites."

"In addition, hidden in Regan's shoe, Regan had a piece of paper on which was written names and addresses in a country in Europe," the court papers say.

The government learned from reliable sources last fall that Regan allegedly provided a number of government documents to representatives of a nation identified only as "Country A," according to the affidavit. A law enforcement source told CNN that authorities believed revealing the countries involved would hamper the investigation.

Regan worked for a government contractor and had been assigned to the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) -- the government agency responsible for designing, producing and fielding U.S. spy satellites, headquartered in Chantilly, Virginia. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2000 after 20 years of service.

Federal officials contacted Sen. Bob Graham, D-Florida, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, at a conference in Helsinki, Finland, and briefed him about the arrest, according to Graham spokesman Paul Anderson.

"He regards it as a very sensitive matter and will be following up when he returns," Anderson said.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, a ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, said the case "shows that the FBI and the other agencies of the intelligence community must remain vigilant."

If convicted, Regan could face a maximum penalty of life in prison -- or the death penalty "under certain circumstances," according to a government attorney -- and a $250,000 fine.