A Portuguese descendant, Jack Teixeira, who is accused of leaking sensitive military documents related to US security, has been repeatedly threatened with violence and used his government computer to investigate mass shootings in an attempt to destroy evidence of the crimes, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
According to Reuters, Jack Teixeira also used the computer to search for known mass shootings, using search terms such as “Uvalde”, “Ruby Ridge” and “Las Vegas shooting”. During a search of Jack Teixeira’s home, the FBI found a destroyed tablet, laptop and game console in a dumpster.
According to the prosecutor’s investigation, Jack Teixeira was even suspended from high school when a classmate overheard him discussing the use of Molotov cocktails and other weapons, as well as threatening racism and racism.
The young person may still be in possession of more sensitive information.
According to the same source, the Justice Department said 21-year-old Jack Teixeira should be held pending trial, saying the aggressive rhetoric, along with apparent efforts to destroy evidence, “exacerbate the escape risk and danger.”
Lawyers for Jack Teixeira declined to comment on the case.
Earlier this month, Jack Teixeira was charged with violating the Espionage Act for illegally copying and transmitting confidential security material, and a second charge for illegally moving security material to an unauthorized location.
The State Department says that if found guilty, Jack Teixeira could serve 25 years in prison. The classified documents contained a large amount of highly classified information on both allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukraine’s air defenses to Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.