Read TFA -- Guardian decided to destroy the materials in order to protect its journalists. They were afraid that recovered computers would contain information a

Read TFA -- Guardian decided to destroy the materials in order to protect its journalists. They were afraid that recovered computers would contain information about which Guardian staff accessed the machines and when, and that could be used as evidence against them. The material was destroyed in this way because the alternative was to hand it all over to the UK government agency mentioned. ...what did the security services expect to achieve here? To stop or severely impair The Guardian's ability to report classified materials.