Massachusetts Air Force National Guard member arrested by FBI in connection with leaked documents

Massachusetts (USA), 14th April 2023: The FBI has made a probable cause arrest in North Dighton, Massachusetts, in connection with the leaked documents probe, a case that has been under intense scrutiny.

The Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air Force National Guard, was taken into custody in relation to the investigation into “alleged authorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.”

The arrest was made without incident, and Teixeira is set to have an initial appearance at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The FBI has continued its law enforcement activity at the residence where Teixeira was arrested. The Bureau has taken swift action and aggressively pursued leads, exemplifying its continued commitment to identifying, pursuing, and holding accountable those who betray the trust of our country and put our national security at risk.

The leaked documents have caused widespread concern, and their apparent revelation that U.S. intelligence has been spying on its allies as well as its adversaries, has raised diplomatic issues. The Washington Post characterized the alleged leaker as a “young, charismatic gun enthusiast” who began disseminating the documents in a private server group on Discord last fall. Media reports have described the documents as being shared among a small group of users on Discord before getting wider notice.

Earlier at the Pentagon, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said that “it is important to understand that we do have stringent guidelines in place for safeguarding classified and sensitive information. This was a deliberate, criminal act – a violation of those guidelines.” The Attorney General has thanked the FBI, Justice Department prosecutors, and colleagues at the Department of Defense for the diligent work on this case. However, the investigation is still ongoing, and more information will be shared at the appropriate time.

President Joe Biden broke his silence on the matter earlier on Thursday, stating that the Justice Department was “getting close” in its criminal investigation into how the U.S. intelligence documents ended up online. When asked if he could provide an update on the probe, Biden said, “right now there’s a full-blown investigation going on and, you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they’re getting close. But I don’t have an answer.”

While the disclosure has raised diplomatic issues, Biden played down its potential impact, stating, “I’m concerned that it happened, but there is nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence.”