"Stewart Nozette, 52, was due to appear in court on Thursday for a hearing on whether he should remain in detention after he was arrested in a sting operation in which an FBI agent posed as an Israeli official.

Mr Nozette, who was arrested last week, has been charged with two counts of attempted espionage for allegedly trying to sell secrets relating to US national defence to a person he believed to be an Israeli intelligence officer, according to court documents filed late on Wednesday.

"The maximum penalty the defendant faces, if convicted, is death," according to the government filing supporting Mr Nozette's continued detention pending trial..."