Jack Teixeira: US under pressure as 21-year-old guardsman held on suspicion of leaking highly classified military documents

Published

2 years ago

April 14, 2023

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A national guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents is due to appear in court later today.

Jack Teixeira is set to be charged with removing or transmitting classified national defence information, which is a crime under the National Espionage Act.

The 21-year-old’s arrest raises fresh questions about America’s ability to safeguard its most sensitive secrets, and the Pentagon has vowed to tighten security measures.

Ukraine war latest: Suspected Pentagon leaker is named; jailed Putin critic ‘has mystery illness’

It described the leak as a “very serious risk to national security” – but officials are coming under pressure to explain why such a young, low-ranking service member had access to these files.

The material was shared on a chat group called Thug Shaker Central, which was based on Discord.

It had about 25 members who also discussed their favourite types of guns and shared memes – some of them racist.

While Teixeira’s motive is unclear, other members of that chat group have claimed he was driven by bravado more than ideology.

Teixeira had served as an IT specialist responsible for protecting military communication networks – and according to one defence official, this meant he would have had a higher level of security clearance.

The classified documents included briefing slides mapping out Ukrainian vulnerabilities and military positions, as well as information on the circumstances where Vladimir Putin might use nuclear weapons.

Information about allies including Israel, South Korea and Turkey was also included, in what is believed to be the most serious security breach since 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on WikiLeaks back in 2010.

Several countries had questioned whether some of the leaked documents were authentic, with British officials claiming there was a “serious level of inaccuracy” in the information. However, US officials do believe most of the materials are genuine.

Mike Turner, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has pledged to “examine why this happened, why it went unnoticed for weeks, and how to prevent future leaks”.

Read more:
What do the highly classified documents say?

How did someone so young have access to such sensitive files?

It appears that the American authorities have been on the backfoot at every turn with this case.

They now claim to have their leaker. He will go through the judicial process.

They will be relieved, at least, that he appears not to be a foreign agent.

But they have many questions to answer: how did a 21-year old Air National Guardsman have access to these documents?

Was he entitled to the access? Are there more classified documents out there? Why did it take so long, with media help, to find him?

Read Mark’s full analysis here.

The Pentagon – which called the leak “a deliberate, criminal act” – says the military is also reviewing distribution lists and ensuring people who receive classified information have a need to know.

While the documents were posted online last month – perhaps earlier – they only broke into wider circulation last week.

The New York Times had first reported Teixeira’s identity, and federal officials later confirmed he was a subject of interest in the investigation.

News crews in helicopters later filmed his arrest in Massachusetts, and the young guardsman was wearing a T-shirt and shorts as heavily armed tactical agents took him into custody.

In a statement, the FBI said: “Since late last week the FBI has aggressively pursued investigative leads – and Thursday’s arrest exemplifies our continued commitment to identifying, pursuing and holding accountable those who betray our country’s trust and put our national security at risk.”

Teixeira may also face charges in military court – and one former prosecutor has suggested he could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Brandon Van Grack explained: “I think this is someone who is facing on the higher end of exposure for years in prison … because the leaks were so damaging.”

President Joe Biden, speaking on his three-day tour of Ireland, told reporters: “I’m concerned that it happened, but there is nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of.”

World

Joe Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia – as politician warns it ‘risks World War Three’

Published

30 mins ago

November 18, 2024

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Joe Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia - as politician warns it 'risks World War Three'

Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to begin firing US-supplied rockets deep into Russia – as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to push for “further support” for Kyiv at the G20 summit.

Mr Biden’s policy shift means Kyiv will now be able to use Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) for long-range attacks, two American officials have told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first such attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The US has eased restrictions on the use of ATACMS, which have a range of up to 190 miles, after Russia began deploying North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces in the conflict.

The development was condemned by Biden officials as a possible expansion of the war.

Follow latest: Ukraine war live updates

A Russian politician and the son of president-elect Donald Trump have both likened the move to risking a third world war.

Maria Butina told the Reuters news agency: “These guys, Biden’s administration, is trying to escalate the situation to the maximum while they still have power and are still in office.

“I have a great hope that Trump will overcome this decision if this has been made because they are seriously risking the start of World War Three which is not in anybody’s interest.”

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr wrote on X: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives… Imbeciles!”

The outgoing Biden administration’s move comes as there are concerns about the level of support the Trump White House may be willing to give Ukraine.

Mr Trump has previously vowed to limit US support for Ukraine and end its war with Russia.

In an evening address after Kyiv was given permission to fire deep into Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “Today, there’s a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions. But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves. They certainly will.”

Back in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said if the US were to lift the ban on long-range missile use it would be seen as NATO’s “direct participation” in the war.

He added: “This, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”

Meanwhile, the UK prime minister has said he has “no plans” to speak with the Russian president as world leaders gather for the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Mr Putin will not be attending the two-day summit which starts on Monday after saying in October that his presence would “disrupt the normal work of this forum”. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will be attending instead.

It will take place days after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to Mr Putin on what was the Russian leader’s first publicly announced conversation with the sitting head of a major Western power in nearly two years.

Asked if he had any plans to make a similar call, Sir Keir said: “It’s a matter for Chancellor Scholz who he speaks to. I have no plans to speak to Putin.”

Speaking to reporters while on his way to the summit, he added: “We are coming up to the 1,000th day of this conflict on Tuesday.

“That’s 1,000 days of Russian aggression, 1,000 days of huge impact and sacrifice in relation to the Ukrainian people and recently we’ve seen the addition of North Korean troops working with Russians which does have serious implications.

“I think on one hand it shows the desperation of Russia, but it’s got serious implications for European security […] and for Indo-Pacific security and that’s why I think we need to double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine and that’s top of my agenda for the G20.

“There’s got to be full support as long as it takes and that certainly is top of my agenda, shoring up that further support for Ukraine.”

The latest developments come after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine on Sunday, with Mr Zelenskyy claiming Moscow had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones.

Two major strikes, which left a total of 18 people dead, hit a residential building in the northeastern city of Sumy as well as energy infrastructure across Ukraine, prompting emergency power cuts.

Hours later, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russia’s air defence units had destroyed a drone heading towards the city.

World

Biden allows Kyiv to begin firing US rockets deep into Russia – as Starmer calls on allies to ‘double down’ on support

Published

4 hours ago

November 18, 2024

admin

Joe Biden has authorised Ukraine to begin firing US-supplied rockets deep into Russia – as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to push for “further support” for Kyiv at the G20 summit.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first such attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The US has eased restrictions on the use of ATACMS, which have a range of up to 190 miles, after Russia began deploying North Korean ground troops to supplement its own forces in the conflict.

The development was condemned by Biden officials as a possible expansion of the war.

Follow latest: Ukraine war live updates

The son of president-elect Donald Trump has criticised the move to allow Ukraine to fire deep into Russia.

Donald Trump Jr wrote on the X social media platform: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives… Imbeciles!”