On Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, the FBI executed a search warrant at the home of Hannah Natanson in Alexandria, Virginia as part of an investigation into leaked government secrets.
The 29-year-old Washington Post journalist said her phone, Garmin watch, and two laptops were seized during the raid. Agents told Natanson she was was not the focus of the investigation. The investigation appears to be focused on a Maryland system administrator with top secret clearance.
According to an affidavit, Aurelio Perez-Lugones was charged with “illegally retaining classified documents” two days ago. The FBI searched his home and discovered classified intelligence reports inside a lunchbox in his basement in Laurel, 20 miles from Annapolis.
The affidavit, filed on Friday, said Perex-Ligones, a 61-year-old Navy veteran, logged into a classified system and took handwritten notes throughout the week and then took the notes home with him at the end of the week.
Last fall, he accessed the databases and took a screenshot of a classified report concerning a foreign country, according to the affidavit. The document stated, “Perez-Lugones has no need to know and was not authorized to search for, access, view, screenshot or print any of this information.”
Perez-Lugones appeared in court on Friday and is being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing.
According to her profile page, Natanson covers the “Trump administration’s reshaping of the government and its effects.” The Washington Posts says she specifically covers the “most high-profile and sensitive coverage during the first year of the second Trump administration.”
Natanson was part of the team awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their coverage on the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capital.
Sources:
Daily Mail: FBI raids home of female Washington Post journalist as part of probe into leaked government secrets
The New Republic: FBI Raids Home of Washington Post Journalist Covering Trump
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