- United States authorities investigate classified Pentagon documents leaker for potential international ties
- The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard
- Officials currently have no evidence that ties the individual to any foreign entity or party
United States officials are investigating the suspect in the leakage of classified Pentagon documents to determine whether or not he had any foreign ties about his reason for conducting the crime.
Three people familiar with the probe spoke out regarding the investigation, as authorities have not seen any public evidence of foreign relations with the suspect. The leaker, identified as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
Pentagon Docs Leaker Probed for Possible Foreign Ties
However, United States President Joe Biden's administration and several law enforcement agencies are looking deeper to determine the actual motivation behind the leak. As per Politico, the sources, who spoke anonymously, said that officials do not yet have any information on who the individual was talking to outside of the Discord server.
If officials do find that the suspect has any foreign links, it would mean that the leak was even more damaging than it initially seemed. It could also suggest that a foreign entity or government orchestrated the crime, or it could mean that materials were made available to foreign officials before the leak was made public.
Additionally, the possibility of a foreign connection to the leaker could open him up to further charges. Currently, Teixeira is facing charges of "unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information" and "unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material." Each charge carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Court documents revealed that the leaker violated two sections of the Espionage Act with his criminal actions. If authorities can establish probable cause in the case, they could add another charge against the suspect under a separate section of the act. That particular part of the law deals with gathering or delivering defense information to aid a foreign government.
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Potential Motivation Behind the Criminal Act
The situation comes as many wonder how a 21-year-old junior member of a reserve force of the Massachusetts Air National Guard could get his hands on classified documents. According to BBC, one factor was that he previously worked as a cyber transport systems journeyman within the agency.
The US Air Force website outlined a description of this particular job where it showed the minimum requirements for the role. One was a high school education and a "Single Scope Background Investigation."
An associate fellow at the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank, Alexandria Seymour, said it was not unusual for a 21-year-old to access classified information in modern times.
The suspect's arrest came one week after the initial leak of the classified Pentagon documents in a small Discord group. The documents included various information, such as eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war, said CNN.
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