A 21-year-old American pilot accused of leaking top-secret Pentagon intelligence documents to a network has been charged.
Jack Teixeira, a member of the US Air National Guard, appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday on charges of unauthorized seizure and possession of classified documents and materials.
He was held in custody pending a new court hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
As he was being escorted away by authorities, his father called out “I love you Jack” from the front row of the courtroom, to which Mr. Teixeira replied, “You too, father,” according to CBS News.
Mr. Teixeira allegedly leaked documents containing highly classified information, including US assessments of the war in Ukraine and analyzes of US allies and adversaries such as China.
Teixeira, an IT specialist in the Massachusetts National Guard Intelligence Division, has the highest security clearance since 2021 and was promoted to the rank of Airman First Class last February, according to the full U.S. government complaint document. .
The document also says that in early April – shortly after the first leaked articles – Teixeira used his government computer to search for secret intelligence reports for the word “leak”.
It is also reported that he was looking for classified information to find out who, according to intelligence agencies, is behind the leak.
A sworn letter submitted to the court alleges that Mr. Teixeira “signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement” to assume this role and had to “admit that unauthorized disclosure of confidential information could lead to criminal prosecution.”
Charges against him could reportedly amount to up to 10 years in prison, even if no harm was done.
Mr. Teixeira was arrested by the FBI on Thursday at his home in Daytona, Massachusetts, after he was identified as the leader of the Discord online chat group where the documents first surfaced.
He is accused of exchanging classified U.S. military information with a group called Thug Shaker Central, which is made up mostly of boys and men.
Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, called the leak “a deliberate criminal act.”
Mr. Teixeira, whose official title is Cyber Transport Systems Companion, was in charge of military communications networks, a role that allowed him to access information that required a high level of security.
The documents are believed to have been first posted to the Discord chat a few months ago, but it wasn’t until the material was posted outside of the group that Pentagon officials became aware of the leak.
With the number of leaked documents likely to exceed 100, this is considered the most serious leak of classified US documents in recent years and causes deep embarrassment for Washington.
Mr. Teixeira is said to have been posting on Discord, a popular social networking site for gamers, for years, where he used the name OG, a slang term meaning “real gangster.”
In conversation with Washington PostA member of the chat room, which was run by Teixeira, said the roughly two dozen participants exchanged “memes, offensive jokes and chit-chat”, prayed and watched movies together.
Another member speaks New York Times that Mr. Teiseria began posting classified documents on the chat in October, including detailed battle maps of the war in Ukraine marked “TOP SECRET.”
Marjorie Taylor Green, a right-wing Republican congresswoman who opposes U.S. military aid to Ukraine, has come under fire after defending an alleged insider who she said “told the truth about troops in Ukraine and more.” .
On Twitter, she described Teixeira as “white male, Christian and anti-war” and said, “Are you wondering who the real enemy is? The lowest junior rank in the National Guard? A NATO nation against a nuclear Russia without military power?”
In response to her comments, former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney said that Ms. Green should not be given security clearance. “Marjorie Taylor Green reiterates that she should not be trusted with any US national security information and should not have security clearance,” Ms. Cheney tweeted.
The Pentagon continues to work to understand the full “scale, scope and impact” of the leaks, the spokesman said.
Mike Turner, a Republican congressman and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, vowed to “investigate why this happened, why it went unnoticed for weeks, and how to prevent future leaks.”
On Thursday, Joe Biden said he was not concerned about the contents of the leak — he said it contains “nothing from that period that I know is of great importance” — but said he was “concerned that this happened “.
A spokesperson for Discord said the platform is working with law enforcement.
“We are aware that law enforcement has arrested a man accused of illegally posting classified material on our platform,” a spokesman told CNN.
“We are cooperating with officials and remain committed to this case while this investigation continues.
“While Discord values the privacy of our users, we believe our platform best meets everyone’s needs when we work together to promote responsible online behavior.
“Our Terms of Service expressly prohibit the use of Discord for any illegal or criminal purpose, including the sharing of documents on Discord that may be classified.”
Source: I News
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