- A federal grand jury indicts Jack Teixeira, the suspect in the leak of Pentagon's highly classified documents
- Officials arrested the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman on April 13
- The sensitive materials were allegedly shared in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform
A federal grand jury has indicted Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira over his alleged release of highly classified military documents that risks national security.
The 21-year-old Air National Guardsman from Massachusetts faces six counts in the indictment of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Authorities arrested the suspect on April 13 for sharing highly classified military documents.
Pentagon Leak Suspect Indicted
The materials were about Russia's war in Ukraine and other top national security issues that were supposedly shared in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform. On May 19, 2023, US District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy granted the government's motion for detention, as per Fox News.
In a statement, FBI Director Christopher Wray said that individuals granted security clearances are entrusted with protecting classified information and safeguarding the country's secrets. He added that the allegations against Teixeira have revealed a serious violation of that trust.
Wray noted that the FBI and the agency's partners continue to be firm in their commitment to hold accountable the ones responsible for endangering national security and the security of the United States' allies globally.
The leak exposed secret assessments of Russia's war in Ukraine as well as the capabilities and geopolitical interests of other countries and other national security issues. The order last month to keep Teixeira in official custody was made due to his release potentially posing a risk that he would attempt to flee the country or obstruct justice.
On the other hand, Teixeira's family has expressed its support for the suspect, and the Air National Guardsman's lawyer pressed the judge in the case to release him to his father, noting he has no criminal history.
Endangering National Security
Acting US Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts released a Thursday statement saying that the unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified information has jeopardized the United States' security, according to NBC News.
The indictment claims that Teixeira held a top-secret security clearance starting from July 2021 and was subsequently trained on the definition, classification levels, and proper handling of classified materials. It added that the suspect had improperly "retained and transmitted" classified National Defense Information.
In a statement, Attorney-General Merrick Garland said that the classified documents that Teixeira was tasked to safeguard could cause grave damage to national security if shared with the wrong people.
The official added that the defendant is charged with sharing information with users on Discord that he knew were not entitled to receive the sensitive materials. Garland said that in doing so, Teixeira violated United States law and endangered national security.
The chat where the suspect shared the classified documents included 20 to 30 young men and teenagers who frequently posted about guns, games, and racist memes. The defendant was charged with two separate counts under the Espionage Act in April, said The Guardian.
