US Secret Services
US intelligence leak: The extent is probably larger than previously known
Jack T. in t-shirt and shorts being taken into custody by armed forces. The man arrested in connection with the release of sensitive US intelligence information is a military employee. photo
© Uncredited/WCVB-TV/AP/dpa
A US military IT specialist shares secret government documents online. This remained hidden from the US government for months. Now more details about the suspect are known.
In the case of the recently uncovered leak of US intelligence documents, investigators believe the suspect accessed far more classified information than previously known.
“The information to which the accused had access – and has accessed – goes far beyond what has previously been published on the Internet,” the prosecutors said in a letter. The prosecution calls for the arrested military IT specialist to be kept in prison. Jack Teixeira, in his early 20s, faces at least 25 years in prison if convicted. According to US media, Teixeira appeared in court for a detention hearing in the US state of Massachusetts. A decision was still pending in the afternoon (local time).
Teixeira is suspected of having published highly confidential documents in a closed chat room. From there they are said to have spread further until authorities and the media became aware of them. The classified information contains, for example, information on the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, but also details on alleged US spying operations against partners. Teixeira was arrested two weeks ago. The National Guard’s IT specialist is charged with unauthorized removal, storage and transmission of classified and national defense information.
Public prosecutors consider Teixeira to be a great danger
Prosecutors are now arguing that Teixeira continues to pose a major threat to national security. “He may still have access to a wealth of classified information that would be of enormous value to enemy states,” it said. “These could provide him with a safe haven and try to facilitate his escape from the US.” The damage that the accused could still cause is extraordinary. The suspect also tried to destroy evidence before his arrest. Teixeira is said to have accessed “hundreds” of classified information from around February 2022, according to the public prosecutor.
So far it has been said that the suspect shared this online from December. In the letter from the lawyers, with a view to Teixeira’s statements on the Internet, it now says: “The defendant admitted several times that he had published classified information and that he had done so before December 2022.” The US government is still investigating whether and where the defendant keeps other copies of the classified information – including material that has not yet been released. Teixeira repeatedly tried to “prevent the government from getting a full picture of the seriousness and extent of his behavior.”
Involved in discussion of violence and murder
The prosecution also argues that Teixeira has a disturbing history of racist and violent speech. He was suspended from high school for comments about guns and Molotov cocktails. Several weapons were found in his room when he was arrested. The suspect has repeatedly engaged in “detailed and disturbing discussions of violence and murder.” In the chat room he said, among other things, that if it were up to him he would “kill a lot of people” because it would “eliminate the weak”.
US media also reported that the data leak affair had initial personal consequences. The Air Force suspended two of Teixeira’s superiors. The suspensions are temporary pending investigations into the case. US President Joe Biden came under pressure in the wake of the scandal, as doubts arose about the security of highly confidential documents. The Democrat instructed his government to limit access to classified information in the future.