Feds arrested a 50-year-old dual American-Turkish national Aug. 9 on his way to the airport with classified information on his person and in his home, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.

Gokhan Gun, a civilian chemical engineer employed by the Pentagon who was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2021, faces charges of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, according to the DOJ. Beginning in at least May, Gun printed over a dozen documents marked as classified and removed the papers “from his authorized work location” without permission, the DOJ alleged. (RELATED: US Charges Iran-Linked Foreign National After He Reportedly Planned To Assassinate Trump)

The DOJ said that earlier in August their “investigators observed Gun exiting his workplace with a bag full of hard copy documents before entering two different residences in Fairfax and Falls Church, both owned by Gun. Authorities arrested Gun as he was on his way to a flight to Mexico, and later found documents marked as classified at his residences.

Agents also recovered a classified document and a “printout listing Gun’s security clearances” in the suspect’s backpack, the DOJ said.  Gun claimed that he was going on a fishing trip to Mexico, and agreed to a search of his house, CBS News reported.

Pentagon employee arrested on way to airport with documents marked “Top Secret,” feds say https://t.co/kKh0spXHSv

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) August 15, 2024

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis ruled Tuesday that while Gun awaits trial, he should be placed under house arrest. If convicted and sentenced to maximized penalty, Gun could face five years in prison, the DOJ noted.

“You don’t need your intelligence-community credentials to go fishing,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Rodregous told the court, according to CBS News.