National Guard
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old US airman, has been officially charged in a court appearance in Boston. He faces up to 15 years in prison for the unauthorised transmission of defence information and up to five years in prison for the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.
The dozens of leaked documents revealed US assessments of the war in Ukraine as well as sensitive secrets about American allies. This caused embarrassment for Washington and raised questions about the security of classified information.
Mr Teixeira was arrested by FBI agents at his family home in Massachusetts on Thursday. The judge ruled that he qualifies for a public defender and he remains in custody until his detention trial on 19 April. US President Joe Biden thanked law enforcement for their “rapid action” to investigate the source of the leaks.
Mr Teixeira worked as an IT specialist in the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard, based at Otis Air National Guard Base in western Cape Cod. He held the rank of Airman 1st Class and had a “top secret” security clearance since 2021.
The affidavit provided by FBI Special Agent Patrick Lueckenhoff to the court stated that Mr Teixeira began posting the leaked documents some time in December. The initial leaks were in the form of paragraphs of text, but he then moved on to posting photographs of documents in January. It was not until intelligence material was posted outside the chat room group that Pentagon officials became aware of the leak.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr Teixeira used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word “leak” on 6 April – the day when public reporting about the documents first emerged.
Jack Teixeira is facing serious charges and could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The US airman is accused of leaking confidential intelligence and defence documents, which caused embarrassment for Washington and raised questions about the security of classified information.
He was arrested by FBI agents at his family home in Massachusetts on Thursday and is currently being held in custody until his detention trial on 19 April. Mr Teixeira worked as an IT specialist in the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts National Guard and held a “top secret” security clearance since 2021.
The affidavit provided by FBI Special Agent Patrick Lueckenhoff to the court stated that Mr Teixeira began posting the leaked documents some time in December. Prosecutors alleged that he used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word “leak” on 6 April – the day when public reporting about the documents first emerged.
If found guilty, Mr Teixeira could face up to 15 years in prison for unauthorised transmission of defence information and up to five years in prison for unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents. US President Joe Biden thanked law enforcement for their “rapid action” to investigate the source of the leaks.