John Kiriakou
John Kiriakou is an American former Central Intelligence Agency officer , author, and counterterrorism consultant who served in the agency from 1990 to 2004, including roles in headquarters and overseas assignments related to capturing high-value al-Qaeda targets such as Abu Zubaydah . In a 2007 ABC News interview, he became the first U.S. official to publicly confirm the CIA's use of waterboarding —a form of simulated drowning—on detainees, describing it as torture that broke Abu Zubaydah after one application while expressing moral opposition to the technique. Kiriakou's disclosures drew attention to the agency's enhanced interrogation program but led to his 2012 indictment and subsequent guilty plea for violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act by revealing the name of a covert CIA officer to a journalist , resulting in a 30-month federal prison sentence in 2013—the first such conviction for a CIA officer regarding leaks. Since his release, he has authored books detailing his experiences, including The Reluctant Spy and Doing Time Like a Spy , critiquing intelligence community practices and government accountability .
John Kiriakou was born on August 9, 1964, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, to parents who were public school teachers of Greek descent, as the grandson of Greek immigrants. He was raised in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania, in a Greek American household where his first-generation parents emphasized academic excellence.
Kiriakou graduated from New Castle High School in 1982. By his early college years in the 1980s, he developed an interest in Middle Eastern studies and applied to George Washington University in Washington, D.C., securing admission and a partial scholarship.
At George Washington University, Kiriakou earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern studies followed by a Master of Arts degree in legislative affairs between 1986 and 1988.
John Kiriakou has been married twice and has five children.
His first marriage ended in divorce in April 2000 while he was stationed in Athens, Greece. The divorce was attributed to strains from his secretive CIA work, including an affair by his first wife that was discovered through their son. This marriage produced two children: Chris and Constantine.
He remarried on August 16, 2003, to Heather Kiriakou, who was also a CIA analyst. They had three children together: Max, Kate, and Charli. The marriage faced significant stress due to Kiriakou's whistleblowing activities, legal troubles, and imprisonment from 2013 to 2015, as well as related financial and professional repercussions, including Heather's resignation from the CIA in 2012. The couple separated in 2017 and divorced in 2018. Subsequent court proceedings, including a 2020 appellate case (John Chris Kiriakou v. Heather Katherine Kiriakou), addressed custody and related matters.
John Kiriakou joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on January 7, 1990, at the age of 25, following his graduation from George Washington University and service in the Peace Corps . He was recruited during his university years, undergoing an extensive interview process that included psychological evaluations, skills assessments, and discussions with agency personnel before securing the position. Upon entry, Kiriakou served in an initial role as a leadership analyst at CIA headquarters, focusing on analytical tasks related to foreign leadership profiles.
Over the course of his 14-year tenure from 1990 to 2004, Kiriakou advanced to roles as both an intelligence analyst and operations officer, primarily within the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. His assignments included work at headquarters and multiple classified overseas postings, where he engaged in counterterrorism operations, agent recruitment, and risk mitigation in hostile environments. Kiriakou transitioned from analytical duties to field operations as a case officer, handling clandestine activities amid threats including assassination attempts.
