Status: 04/14/2023 18:04
After the dissemination of US intelligence information, the arrested suspect was brought before a judge for the first time. A hearing is scheduled for next week. The 21-year-old faces a long prison sentence.
After the arrest of a 21-year-old US military employee for a massive leak of confidential documents, the young man appeared in court for the first time.
The Massachusetts National Guardsman faces charges of “unauthorized removal and storage of classified and national defense information,” court officials said. A judge ordered the suspect to remain in detention at least until Wednesday, when another hearing is scheduled.
The federal police FBI arrested the suspect on Thursday with a large-scale contingent. CNN showed footage of heavily armed officers taking the young man in a T-shirt and shorts away. If charged and later convicted, he faces a long prison sentence.
Secret documents shared in chat group
Secret documents from US agencies have been circulating on the Internet for weeks, including on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. It contains information on arms deliveries and assessments of what is happening in the war, but also details on alleged US spying operations against partner countries. It is currently not possible to check how authentic the information actually is or whether it was subsequently changed.
According to media reports, the 21-year-old, who goes by the nickname “OG”, shared the secret information in a chat group on the Discord platform popular with video gamers. He initially shared the explosive documents with the group as copies and later also uploaded photos of printed documents. The information was then leaked online via other members of the group.
It remains unclear why the information was shared in the chat group. According to initial findings, the young military man was not involved in the events of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Rather, he has an affinity for guns and belongs to the right-wing political spectrum.
A member of the group told the Washington Post: “I don’t think he had any particular purpose in publishing it. He’s critical of the government, but that’s not uncommon for most right-wingers these days.”
Consequences for US government
According to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, he only found out about the data leak a week ago, although the material had been floating around the web for weeks. As a result, the government not only launched an investigation to find the leak – it also had to do damage control to placate partners. Ukraine in particular was upset about the leak – even though it is said to have had no direct impact on military decisions.
For the US government, not only the security gap itself and the disclosure of sensitive material is a problem, but also the external impact on the international stage: Questions arise about how reliable the US is, how well it keeps its secrets and those of its partners protect and how loyal they are to allies.
In view of the affair, the US Department of Defense wants to review access to intelligence information. Austin said he had commissioned an investigation into access to intelligence within his department. Control procedures would also be checked to prevent “such an incident from happening again”.