Jack Teixeira: FBI arrests suspect in connection with intelligence leaks

A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard has been arrested and charged in connection with leaking classified documents that were posted online. The material, which included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries in connection with the ongoing war in Ukraine, was posted on a social media platform popular with gamers. The FBI arrested 21-year-old Jack Teixeira in Massachusetts without incident and he will be arraigned in federal court. While there were thousands of people who had access to the documents, investigators honed in on a small group thanks to the forensic trail left behind by the leaker. Teixeira is believed to be the leader of the group.

President Joe Biden appeared to suggest that the US government was close to identifying the leaker during a speech to parliament. Biden has been regularly briefed on the investigation and the efforts made to engage with allies who have been identified or unsettled by the content. Officials said the investigation and concern over leaked material put a shadow over his foreign policy trip.

Teixeira is an Airman 1st Class who joined the service in September 2019 and his official job is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. His fascination with the military and guns was something that made some fellow students feel uneasy, several of his former high school classmates told CNN. Investigators began the search for the suspect by examining thousands of people with access to the documents before narrowing the list to those in a chat group where the content had been posted.

The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following the leak. The Joint Staff, which comprises the Defense Department’s most senior uniformed leadership that advises the president, began examining its distribution lists immediately after learning of the trove of leaked classified documents. The criminal investigation is being led by the FBI’s Washington field office, which is working with Pentagon officials on a damage assessment. Teixeira was under surveillance for at least two days before the arrest.



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