US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest of a suspect in organizing the leak of classified Pentagon documents.
Garland told reporters today that the US Department of Justice arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira on charges of leaking and unauthorized publication of classified national security information. Teixeira was detained by FBI agents earlier Thursday afternoon.
Investigators believe the Air Guard member, who specializes in intelligence, led a group of online chats in which the documents were posted.
Garland announced that the accused was Jacques Teixeira, 21, and said he would be charged with unauthorized disclosure of classified information related to the national defense.
On Thursday, FBI agents raided Teixeira's home in Massachusetts, and armed and tactical agents were able to apprehend him from the front of the house "without problems," according to Garland.
While it was not clear until this moment whether he had a lawyer speaking on his behalf, and a message was left on the phone for a number believed to be for his mother, but no one answered it yet.
Teixeira's identification is likely to raise the question of how such a junior could uncover the most important leak of intelligence documents in years.
Over the past days, the Biden administration has rushed to contain the consequences of the leak, which revealed potential weaknesses in Ukraine's air defense capabilities, and presented special assessments from allies on a range of intelligence matters.
The National Guard did not confirm the man's identity, but said in a statement, "We are aware of the investigation into the alleged role that a Massachusetts Air National Guard guard may have played in a recent leak of top-secret documents."
Who is Jack Teixeira?
Jack Teixeira is a 21-year-old air national guardsman who has been arrested for allegedly leaking classified US intelligence documents to an online gaming chat group. He is suspected of being the source of a major security breach that exposed sensitive information about the Ukraine war and other spying activities. Here are some facts you need to know about him and his case.
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- He joined the Air National Guard in 2019 and worked as a cyber transport systems journeyman, which means he was responsible for military communications networks and their protection. He had a higher level of security clearance than most of his peers.
- He was deployed in the 102nd intelligence wing of the Massachusetts air national guard, and worked at a base on Cape Cod, where he had access to a secure facility that prohibited mobile phones and other electronic devices.
- He was the leader of a small online gaming chat group called Thug Shaker Central, on the social network Discord. The group had about 30 members who shared an interest in guns, video games, racist memes and jokes. He went by the handle OG in the group.
- He started leaking classified documents to the group in 2020, at first typing up verbatim transcripts and then posting actual photographs of folded-up papers. He claimed he brought the documents home from his base and wanted to impress his online friends. He also posted messages with acronyms and jargon to show off his insider knowledge.
- He was identified as the prime suspect after investigators traced the leaked documents to his chat group and matched details of his childhood home, posted on social media by his family, with those on the margins of some of the photographs. He was arrested by armed FBI agents at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts, on Thursday.
- He faces charges under the Espionage Act for unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information. If convicted, he could face a lengthy jail sentence and a fine. He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
- His case is considered to be one of the most serious security breaches since the WikiLeaks data dump in 2010. The Pentagon has described it as a "very serious risk to national security" and said it could damage relations with key allies and jeopardize ongoing operations.
- His motive for leaking the documents is unclear, but some who chatted with him said he was motivated more by bravado than ideology. His former schoolmate described him as a "good kid, not a troublemaker, just a quiet guy" who made a "stupid kid's mistake".
- His mother, Dawn Teixeira, who owns a flower business, confirmed that her son was a member of the air national guard and said he had changed his phone number recently. She declined to comment further on his arrest.
Jack Teixeira's case has shocked many people who wonder how someone so young and inexperienced could have access to such sensitive information and leak it online without being detected for months. It also raises questions about the security protocols and oversight at US military bases and intelligence agencies. As more details emerge about his case, we will keep you updated on this blog.
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