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By Dustin Volz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton (N:BAH) said on Thursday it had commissioned an external review of its security practices, a move that comes after authorities arrested an employee of the firm that was working under contract at the National Security Agency and charged with stealing classified information.
Booz Allen, which earns billions contracting with U.S. intelligence agencies, has come under renewed scrutiny in recent weeks after authorities took Harold Thomas Martin into custody.
The firm also employed Edward Snowden, who leaked a trove of secret files to journalists in 2013 that exposed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the NSA.
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller is leading the audit of security, personnel and management practices, Booz Allen said in a statement. The review began on Oct. 19.
Martin was taken into custody in Maryland in August, but his arrest was not announced publicly until earlier this month.
“We fired Harold Martin as soon as we learned of his arrest, and we have been fully cooperating with the FBI’s investigation," Booz Allen spokesman Craig Veith said. "We are determined to learn from this incident and look more broadly at our processes and practices."