In a major security breach, a 21-year-old member of the US Air National Guard, Jack Douglas Teixeira, has been charged with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified military intelligence records online. FBI agents arrested him at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, on Thursday, and he appeared in federal court on Friday. During the hearing, Teixeira was wearing a brown khaki jumpsuit and was appointed a federal public defender. The prosecutor requested that Teixeira be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was scheduled for the following Wednesday.
The leaked documents were believed to be the most serious security breach since WikiLeaks published 700,000 classified documents, videos, and diplomatic cables in 2010. Although the documents were posted on a social media website weeks earlier, they did not come to light until the New York Times reported on them last week. The leak included records that showed purported details of Ukrainian military vulnerabilities and revealed Washington’s spying on allies.
The incident has sent shockwaves across Washington, with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer requesting a briefing for all 100 senators, while Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to investigate. President Joe Biden has also ordered an investigation to determine how the alleged leaker had access to sensitive information and has taken steps to tighten security.
Teixeira has been charged with one count of violating the Espionage Act and a second count of the unlawful removal of defense material to an unauthorized location. A conviction on the Espionage Act charge carries up to 10 years in prison. The charges are connected to just one leaked document so far, but experts expect more charges as investigators examine each leaked document.
Teixeira held a top-secret security clearance since 2021 and had sensitive compartmented access to other highly classified programs, according to an FBI agent’s sworn statement. He has been serving as an E-3/airman first class in the Air National Guard and stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts since May 2022. The fact that a 21-year-old National Guardsman held such a top-level security clearance raises concerns and is a lingering question.
More than 50 documents labeled “Secret” and “Top Secret,” but it has not independently verified their authenticity. The number of documents leaked is likely to be over 100. The fallout from the case is expected to be far-reaching, and investigators will be working tirelessly to uncover the extent of the breach and its potential impact on national security.
