Air Force
Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old airman, has been accused of leaking classified US intelligence files. Friends and family of the suspect say he is not a whistleblower or a foreign agent, leaving investigators to search for a potential motive.
Mr Teixeira’s family has a long history of military service. His stepfather retired after 34 years in the military, and his mother worked for non-profit organisations focused on veterans. Neighbours describe him as a “good kid” who was “big into video games” and wanted to join the military.
The suspect allegedly first leaked the files on the online chatroom platform Discord, which is popular among gamers. He created an invitation-only chatroom called Thug Shaker Central and shared memes, offensive jokes and idle chitchat with its two dozen members. They also watched films together, discussed their favourite guns, and messaged extensively about the war in Ukraine.
When his chatroom members didn’t respond to the sensitive information he shared, Mr Teixeira reportedly became frustrated and began posting photos of the files. The Washington Post reported that he sent an irate message to the group complaining that they were more interested in YouTube videos.
Mr Teixeira enlisted in the Massachusetts Air National Guard in 2019 and held the junior rank of Airman 1st Class. His job title was Cyber Transport Systems journeyman, which required a background check to access top secret information.
The Pentagon says it will re-examine how classified information is distributed, but a spokesman noted that it is “the nature” of the US military to entrust young service members with high levels of responsibility.
Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old airman, has been accused of leaking classified US intelligence files. Friends and family of the suspect say he is not a whistleblower or a foreign agent, leaving investigators to search for a potential motive. Mr Teixeira’s family has a long history of military service, with his stepfather retiring after 34 years in the military and his mother having worked for non-profit organisations focused on veterans. Neighbours describe him as a “good kid” who was “big into video games” and wanted to join the military.
The suspect allegedly first leaked the files on the online chatroom platform Discord, which is popular among gamers. He created an invitation-only chatroom called Thug Shaker Central and shared memes, offensive jokes and idle chitchat with its two dozen members. They also watched films together, discussed their favourite guns, and messaged extensively about the war in Ukraine. When his chatroom members didn’t respond to the sensitive information he shared, Mr Teixeira reportedly became frustrated and began posting photos of the files.
Mr Teixeira enlisted in the Massachusetts Air National Guard in 2019 and held the junior rank of Airman 1st Class. His job title was Cyber Transport Systems journeyman, which required a background check to access top secret information. The Washington Post reported that he sent an irate message to the group complaining that they were more interested in YouTube videos than his documents.
The Pentagon has said it will re-examine how classified information is distributed, but a spokesman noted that it is “the nature” of the US military to entrust young service members with high levels of responsibility. One teenager in the group had a theory on why Mr Teixeira shared the documents: he was a Christian, anti-war, and wanted to inform some of his friends about what’s going on.
It remains unclear why Mr Teixeira would potentially endanger US national security by leaking the files. FBI investigators will be working to establish a potential motive as they continue their investigation into this case.