Ex-CIA Officer Charged in Algiers Rape

Former CIA station chief Andrew Warren has been charged with one count of sexual abuse in an investigation into Warren's activities during his service in Algeria.

The 41-year-old Warren was accused of drugging and raping at least two Muslim women at his CIA-provided residence in Algiers in separate incidents dating back to September 2007. The alleged victims told a Diplomatic Security Service investigator Warren served them drinks apparently laced with drugs and then forced them to have sex. A search of Warren's cell phone and digital camera uncovered multiple pictures of the two accusers and various other women.

An indictment against Warren, returned two weeks ago and unsealed today, refers to only one incident and one woman. But, it charges Warren with engaging in sex with a person who "was physically incapable of declining participation in, and communicating unwillingness to engage in, said sexual act."

Warren, who was ordered home by the State Department last October, turned himself in this morning and made a preliminary appearance in US District Court in Washington, D.C. In court, Warren pleaded not guilty to the single charge of sexual abuse, but he was forced to turn over his personal passport.

He remains free pending his trial. If convicted Warren could face up to life in prison.

The incident is an embarrassment to the CIA involving a top official serving in a very sensitive post. Algeria is a breeding ground for terrorism. An Algiers-based group called al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is suspected in a series of deadly bombings. In his position as station chief Warren worked with Algerian intelligence in counterterrorism efforts.

The State Department had no immediate reaction. A CIA spokesman said, "We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement in this matter, which involves a former employee who was fired earlier this year."