Jack Teixeira Wiki

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Jack Teixeira, a National Guard technology support staffer, is suspected of mishandling U.S. military security secrets.

A young member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested by the FBI Thursday afternoon in an investigation into leaks of classified military intelligence that began with a small group online and ultimately led to hundreds of government secrets spilling over to the rest. of the world.

The arrest came hours after people familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the individual, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, as the main focus of the investigation. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the leaker shared documents with a small circle of friends online on the Discord chat platform, which is popular with gamers. In that group, one user said, Teixeira’s mangoes included jackthedripper.

Heavily armed FBI agents removed Teixeira from a family residence in Dighton, Massachusetts, on Thursday afternoon. Wearing red gym shorts and a T-shirt, the young man was led to a waiting car. He could make an initial court appearance Friday in a case that has paralyzed much of official Washington for the past week.

A friend of Teixeira’s described his motives to The Post as wanting to share, and show off, the secrets he knew to a small circle of online friends who bonded over video games. If he is found guilty, Teixeira could end up serving years in prison.

In brief remarks to reporters at Justice Department headquarters, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira was arrested “without incident” on charges of “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.” Garland took no questions.

Dozens of highly classified documents have been leaked online, revealing confidential information intended for senior military and intelligence leaders. In an exclusive investigation, The Post also reviewed dozens of additional secret documents, most of which have not been made public.

Who leaked the documents?

Jack Teixeira, a junior member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in the investigation into leaks of hundreds of pages of classified military intelligence. The Washington Post reported that the person who leaked the information shared documents with a small circle of friends online on the Discord chat platform.

What else do they show?

The files include summaries of human intelligence on high-level conversations between world leaders, as well as information on advanced satellite technology the United States uses for spying. They also include intelligence on allies and adversaries, including Iran and North Korea, as well as Britain, Canada, South Korea, and Israel.
What happens now? The leak has far-reaching implications for the United States and its allies. In addition to the Justice Department investigation, officials in several countries said they were assessing the damage caused by the leaks.

Teixeira served in a junior position but had access to an internal Defense Department computer network for top-secret information called the Joint Global Intelligence Communications System, according to a US official familiar with the matter. That access would have allowed him to read and potentially print documents classified at the same level as many of the leaked files.

Investigation

The fast-moving investigation began in early April when Pentagon officials first realized that documents on an extraordinary variety of topics exposed how the United States spies on friend and foe alike. The leak of dozens of pages also angered senior Ukrainian officials, who have tried to keep details of their military’s vulnerabilities hidden as Russia’s war with Ukraine progresses into its second year. The Post also reviewed approximately 300 photos of classified documents, most of which have not been made public.

Investigators are likely to look into how Teixeira, from his post at a base in Massachusetts, would have gained access to highly classified information, some of which was used to brief top Pentagon leaders. National Guard units perform some support services for active duty units, including intelligence support for senior military officers, a US official said. In that case, Teixeira may have had access to the types of highly classified documents he allegedly shared with his colleagues on the server, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.