Washington Post reporter’s home raided by FBI

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The FBI executed a search warrant on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home on Wednesday as part of a probe into "a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials," the paper announced. 

Natanson was at her Virginia home at the time of the search and a warrant stated "law enforcement was investigating Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland who has a top secret security clearance and has been accused of accessing and taking home classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement," the Post reported, citing an FBI affidavit. 

Natanson covers "the Trump administration's reshaping of the government and its effects," according to her X bio. Her home and devices were searched, and Natanson told her employer that a phone and Garmin watch were seized.

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The FBI on Wednesday executed a search warrant on a Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson‘s home. (Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/Reuters)

Perez-Lugones is an American citizen who was born in Miami and now resides in Laurel, Maryland, according to a criminal complaint. He has been a government contractor since 2002 and possesses top secret security clearance.

Perez-Lugones’ current role is "administrative," according to the complaint. He works as a systems engineer and information technology specialist for a government contracting company whose primary customer is a government agency. His workplace is in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, according to the complaint. 

Perez-Lugones is accused of using databases and repositories to search for, access and view a classified intelligence report related to a foreign country. He is accused of taking a screenshot of the report and printing it. 

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The Washington Post's building in DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The complaint states that at least one document marked "secret" that was found in Perez-Lugones’ basement was related to national defense.

The Washington Post reported Natanson has been part of its most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration.

The Washington Post told Fox News Digital that it is "reviewing and monitoring the situation."

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Attorney General Pamela Bondi addressed the search on social media.

"This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country," Bondi wrote.

Natanson penned a story last month headlined, "I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal," that detailed her experiences talking to government employees and its effects on her personal and work life as she fielded thousands of messages.

Her recent work includes reporting headlined, "Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro," "Maduro raid killed about 75 in Venezuela, U.S. officials assess" and "How Social Security has gotten worse under Trump."

FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed the search.  

"This morning the @FBI and partners executed a search warrant of an individual at the Washington Post who was found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor - endangering our warfighters and compromising America’s national security. The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody. As this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment," Patel wrote on X.

Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray sent a memo to staffers on Wednesday stating the paper is "not a target." 

"FBI agents showed up unannounced at the doorstep of our colleague Hannah Natanson, searched her home, and proceeded to seize her electronic devices. According to the government warrant, the raid was in connection with an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. We are told Hannah, and The Post, are not a target," Murray wrote in the memo obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"Nonetheless, this extraordinary, aggressive action is deeply concerning and raises profound questions and concern around the constitutional protections for our work. The Washington Post has a long history of zealous support for robust press freedoms. The entire institution stands by those freedoms and our work," he continued. "We have been in close touch with Hannah, with authorities and with legal counsel and will keep you updated as we learn more. In the meantime, the best thing all of us can do is to continue to vigorously exercise those freedoms as we do every day."

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