US Justice
US intelligence scandal: Teixeira pleads “not guilty”
This court drawing shows Jack Teixeira appearing in US District Court in Boston. photo
© Margaret Small/AP/dpa
A US military IT specialist shares secret government documents online. This remained hidden from the US government for months. Now the suspect is in court – and rejects the guilt.
A young military man has pleaded not guilty following his indictment in the US intelligence scandal. The reported US media unanimously. Jack Teixeira was arrested a little over two months ago after a federal jury indicted him on six counts of intentionally storing and disclosing classified national defense information. According to the ministry, the 21-year-old faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.
Teixeira joined the National Guard in September 2019 and received official clearance to view top-secret government documents in 2021. As of January 2022, he is said to have intentionally released information classified as “secret” and “top secret” in a closed chat room on the Discord platform popular with video gamers. From there, they spread on the Internet until authorities and the media became aware of them. The leak only became public in April of this year.