Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts man, has been arrested for his suspected connection to the publication. Dozens of secret documents He was charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material, which disclosed sensitive intelligence and defense information.
The airman from the Massachusetts Air National Guard made his first appearance in federal court in Boston on Friday. Attorney General Merrick Garland Teixeira made the announcement Arrested by the FBI Thursday afternoon.
An affidavit filed in court with the criminal complaint states “there is probable cause to believe that Teixeira improperly and unlawfully retained national defense information classified at the TS/SCI level and transmitted it to persons not authorized to receive such information.” The affidavit alleges that Teixeira, who held “top security” clearance and access to sensitive compartments, obtained sensitive government documents that were eventually reposted on the Internet in February 2023, according to logs kept by the federal government. About a day later, an online user reposted that information on the Internet, according to charging documents.
Federal investigators interviewed that user, identified in the documents only as “User 1,” who told the FBI that the information was originally posted by a person using Teixeira’s username.
According to “User 1”, an individual using Teixeira’s username initially posted sensitive information as “paragraphs of text”, and in January 2023 began posting documents that appeared to contain classified information. Charging documents reveal that one of the posted documents “describes the state of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including troop movements on a specific date.” According to the complaint, the government confirmed that the document in question was classified at the highest level.
Months later, on April 6 — the day media reports first appeared about the leaked documents — investigators alleged that Teixeira used his government computer to conduct classified intelligence searches reported for “leaked” work.
“There is reason to believe that TEIXEIRA is seeking classified reports regarding the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of the identity of the person who transmitted classified national defense information to include government documents,” investigators alleged in court papers filed Friday.
If convicted, the 21-year-old faces up to 15 years in prison for both charges.
During Friday’s hearing, Teixeira said “yes” when asked if he understood his right to remain silent. As the hearing was dismissed, he was handcuffed.
A news helicopter flying over the home of the suspect’s mother in North Dighton, Massachusetts, captured footage Thursday afternoon of Teixeira walking backwards with her hands on her head as she looked at the rifle-carrying officers.
According to Pentagon records, Teixeira joined the National Guard in 2019 and served as a “cyber transport systems journeyman.”
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Catherine Watson
