WASHINGTON — The CIA has removed its station chief in Algeria from his post amid an investigation by the Justice Department of allegations that the officer drugged and raped two Algerian women, according to current and former U.S. government officials familiar with the matter.
The officer, identified in an affidavit as Andrew Warren, served as the agency's top official in Algeria until late last year, and previously held high-level positions in Afghanistan and Egypt, officials said. The investigation was launched after two women approached the U.S. Embassy in Algiers and said they had been raped in separate incidents, according to a former CIA official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Justice Department officials declined to comment, although the State Department confirmed that an investigation was underway.
"The individual in question has returned to Washington and the U.S. government is looking into the matter," said acting State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood.
CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations, except to say that the "CIA would take seriously, and follow up vigorously, any allegation of misconduct." The investigation was first reported by ABC News on its website.
The allegations have the potential to represent a serious setback for the U.S. as the Obama administration is trying to repair relations with the Muslim world.
Algeria is considered a top priority in the intelligence community because it has been a haven for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a group that has pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's terrorist network. The North African group was blamed for an August bombing outside Algiers that killed more than 40 people.
The timing of the case means that Obama's picks to run the intelligence community and the CIA face a budding controversy even before stepping into their jobs.
Retired U.S. Navy Adm. Dennis C. Blair was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday as the next director of national intelligence. Former Rep. Leon E. Panetta of California faces a confirmation hearing next week on his nomination to lead the CIA.
A spokesman for the office of the director of national intelligence declined to comment, but a source close to the Obama intelligence team said both nominees had been briefed on the matter.
