Alleged US spy pleads not guilty

Stewart Nozette had top security clearance during his career

An American space scientist has pleaded not guilty to two charges of attempted spying.

Stewart Nozette, 52, was ordered to remain in custody until his trial as he was considered too great a flight risk by the magistrate.

Prosecutors alleged that he tried to give classified information to an undercover FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence officer.

Mr Nozette is accused of seeking $2m for selling the secrets.

Nozette, 52, once had top security clearance, working at the White House on the National Space Council from 1989 to 1990, where he developed a radar experiment that purportedly discovered water on the Moon.

He then spent 10 years at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he designed highly advanced technology.

In 2000, he set up a company that developed advanced technology for the US government, including for the Pentagon and Nasa.