A man who worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA) has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a probe into the possible theft of top-secret codes, US authorities said.

A criminal complaint has been released against Harold Thomas Martin III, 51, of Maryland by the  Department of Justice. The complaint charged him with theft of government property and unauthorized removal and retention of classified materials.

The suspect was arrested August 27 following a search of his home.

Martin, who has now been fired, worked for Booz Allen Hamilton the same firm that hired notorious leaker Edward Snowden.

According to the criminal complaint, the investigators found hard copies and digital files of top secret documents in Martin's home and car.

Six of the documents "were produced through sensitive government sources, methods and capabilities, which are critical to a wide variety of national security issues," the complaint states.

Booz Allen said in a statement that, "And we fired the employee." "Booz Allen is a 102-year-old company, and the alleged conduct does not reflect our core values," the statement read.

Martin's lawyers said in a statement to US media, that, "We have not seen any evidence. But what we know is that Hal Martin loves his family and his country. There is no evidence that he intended to betray his country."

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Nandini