Hawaii is a spot for sun, surf _ and spies

[AsahinaKimi]

HONOLULU (AP) -- Clandestine agents. Foreign spies. Intelligence. Hawaii is better known for sunbathing on the beach or surfing than high-stakes sleuthing.

But the case of a 59-year-old civilian defense contractor accused of giving military secrets to his much younger Chinese girlfriend is a reminder that the state is a prime target for espionage. A high concentration of important military commands means there's a great deal of information on the islands that potential adversaries want to know.

Case in point: Most of the FBI's resources in Hawaii are concentrated on counterintelligence -- not drug trafficking or terrorism.

"One of the FBI's priorities in Hawaii is keeping America's secrets safe from agents of foreign powers," said Tom Simon, a special agent in Honolulu. "With the amount of military and classified material in Hawaii, it remains a top priority for the FBI."

It helps that the state, population 1.4 million, isn't a hotbed of violent crime. That allows agents to focus much of their efforts on thwarting spooks.

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