WASHINGTON (Reuters) –A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested Thursday in connection with the release of top-secret military documents about the Ukrainian war and other important national security issues. Perfect for protecting confidential information.
A security guard, an IT specialist identified as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was taken into custody without incident after FBI officers arrived at his Massachusetts home. He said he faces charges of deleting or transmitting classified defense information, which is a crime.
Garland did not disclose a possible motive, but reports from people in the private online chat group where the documents were released describe Teixeira as being motivated by courage rather than ideology.
There is no definitive answer as to how many documents were leaked. AP has reviewed about 50 documents. Some estimates put the total number in the hundreds.
The leak is believed to have started on a website called Discord, a social media platform popular with people who play online games, where Teixeira has posted about guns, games and favorite memes over the years.
Investigative websites Bellingcat and The New York Times first publicly identified Teixeira minutes before federal officials confirmed he was the subject of an investigation. They reported tracking profiles of other, more obscure websites of his linked to Teixeira.
A previous report from the Associated Press identified the leaker as “OG”. By a member of an online chat group. The person refused to give his name to the AP, out of concern for his safety.
A chat group called Thug Shaker Central gathered about 20 enthusiastic fans to talk about their favorite types of guns and exchange memes and jokes, some of which were racist. The group also held ongoing discussions about the war, including talking about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Discord said it is cooperating with law enforcement. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement after the arrest that the Pentagon would review “information access, accountability and surveillance procedures” to ensure that such leaks do not occur again.
There are few ways to access the leaked confidential information. Confidential briefings with slides, such as those posted on Discord, typically share information electronically. This can be done via secure computer terminals that users are granted access to based on their credentials, or via tablets that are handed out for briefings and collected at a later time.
If you need to print your slides instead, you can only send them to a secure printer capable of handling sensitive documents, and we will keep a digital record of everyone who requested a print. For those with security clearance, handling sensitive information is largely based on training and confidence that the information is protected.
Ryder said all cleared military personnel have signed non-disclosure agreements and been trained in the military’s strict guidelines for handling classified materials. A leak is “an intentional criminal act and a violation of these guidelines.”
