FBI Detains Alleged Leaker Of US Intelligence Documents
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Several sources confirmed that a 21-year-old U.S. Air Force National Guard employee has been arrested over the leak of hundreds of pages of U.S. classified military intelligence.
Jack Teixeira was taken into custody by federal agents at his home in the town of Dighton in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) south of Boston.
Arial footage showed a young man arrested by a handful of federal agents just days after publishing the files, known as the Pentagon documents, revealing the U.S. spying on friends and foes.
The man, believed to be Teixeira, could be seen with his hands on his head, clad in a T-shirt and shorts.
Soon after, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters that the arrest was made “in connection with an investigation into an alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information,” said Garland.
“Teixeira is an employee of the United States Air Force National Guard. [Federal Bureau of Investigation] FBI agents took Teixeira into custody this afternoon without incident,” Garland said.
He added that Teixeira will have an initial appearance at “the U.S. District Court of the district of Massachusetts.”
INVESTIGATION ONGOING
Garland said the investigation remains ongoing into one of the most severe intelligence leaks in recent U.S. history.
The U.S. Department of Defense called the publishing of classified information “a deliberate criminal act.”
The defense and intelligence files were leaked on the online gaming and chat platform Discord, prompting panic among top U.S. officials.
At least 50, but perhaps more than 100, secret documents were reportedly posted on the platform.
The material includes sensitive information regarding the war in Ukraine and on China and U.S. allies, according to sources familiar with the material.
U.S. officials have warned the leak could undermine national security and impact relations with foreign partners. The files raised questions about intelligence security in the United States.
It was unclear what motivated the suspect, though sources who knew Teixeira called him an “observant Christian who often spoke of God and prayed with members of the chat group.”
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