The FBI arrested a 21-year-old US Air Force National Guard member who is behind the leak of classified Pentagon documents. The top-secret files were recently found on Discord, and officials believe that the files may have already been sitting on the messaging platform for weeks.
Suspect Used His Position as National Guard Member to Access Classified Documents
As reported by Gizmodo, the suspect identified as Jack Teixeira of the Massachussetts Air National Guard was taken into FBI custody for the massive leakage of top-secret defense documents from Pentagon. A news helicopter caught the scene of Teixeira's arrest, showing the 21-year-old airman handcuffed and escorted by heavily-armed federal agents towards the mobile.
Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed in a short press conference that Teixeira was taken into custody for the "alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information." The suspect has been arrested "without incident."
According to NBC, Teixeira is an airman first class of the Massachussetts National Guard, stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. The suspect's complete job title is "cyber transport systems journeyman." His position in the IT department of the National Guard is likely what allowed him to access classified Pentagon files.
Teixeira is set to appear for the first time at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Friday, where he will face charges under the Espionage Act. This law criminalizes the act of transmitting classified defense information.
The Pentagon documents that were found on Discord contain sensitive intelligence about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Related Article: Leaked Secret Documents from the Pentagon Linked to Discord
Pentagon Leak Suspect Posted Sensitive Defense Files to Impress His Online Community
More than 100 classified documents from Pentagon were detected on Discord. Aside from being a messaging app, Discord is popular among gamers to seamlessly communicate with their teammates.
As for Teixeira, he had been using the app as an "Internet troll." The suspect had apparently been feeding defense information to an gaming group on Discord, according to the New York Times. The members of this online community are mostly teenagers, and Teixeira allegedly leaked these info to impress his fellow members.
Teixeira was identified as "jackthedripper" on the online platform, serving as the administrator of the online community called "Thug Shaker Central." This group is interested with gaming and guns, which is likely drove the suspect to leak the top-secret Pentagon files because they are related to warfare.
In a separate press conference, Defense Department Spokeman Brigadier General Pat Ryder described Teixeira's action as a "deliberate criminal act." At the moment, the Pentagon has yet to determine the magnitude of the documents leak.
General Ryder noted that US military personnel are given "a lot of responsibility at a very early age," which is why the 21-year-old Teixeira was entrusted to handle such important defense documents.
"Think about a young combat platoon sergeant, and the responsibility and trust that we put into those individuals to lead troops into combat," General Ryder told the press.
