The FBI arrested a 21-year-old National Guardsman for leaking military secrets and immediately charged him. How did they identify him?
by ABC News
In connection with the leak of classified U.S. government documents via Discord, the FBI arrested Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Douglas Teixeira, the suspect who leaked the documents, on April 13, 2023. Teixeira, who was indicted on suspicion of violating the Espionage Act, appeared in federal court in Massachusetts on the 14th, the day after his arrest.
Leak suspect appears in court as US spells out its case | AP News
Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira charged in federal court, tells dad 'I love you' | Fox News
Pentagon knew Discord offered risks and warned soldiers about its use - The Washington Post
The military secrets leak incident was discovered on April 6 when The New York Times reported that 'classified documents describing secret U.S. and NATO plans to support the Ukrainian military were posted on social media.' The classified documents posted on Discord were then spread across the Internet via 4chan, Telegram, and other platforms.
Leaked US government classified documents were posted on Discord and spread to 4chan and Telegram, and it was also discovered that they included character sheets for TRPGs for some reason - GIGAZINE
The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman arrested for leaking the classified documents, Jack Teixeira, has been charged with possessing and transmitting national defense information and knowingly possessing classified documents, charges that could land him in prison for up to 15 years.
At his first appearance in federal court in Boston, Teixeira entered the courtroom dressed in prison clothes and exchanged 'I love you' with his father, who was in the front row.
By Margaret Small/Reuters
The eight-page
The document does not reveal the identity of the Discord user who made the testimony, but the Discord user said, 'The user believed to be Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information around December 2022 in a chat room used to discuss geopolitical issues and war.'
The witness provided information that Teixeira, who was active on Discord, went by the name 'Jack,' claimed to be a member of the Air National Guard, and was believed to be living in Massachusetts. The FBI subsequently obtained records of posts from Discord, which cooperated with the investigation, which led to the identification of Teixeira.
A witness told the FBI that Teixeira initially posted transcripts of classified documents but then switched to posting photos of the documents because he was concerned the transcripts would be discovered at work, contrary to some previous reports that Teixeira was upset that other users were not paying attention to him.
The affidavit also reported that Teixeira searched for 'leak' on April 6, the same day that The New York Times reported on the leak of classified documents, which the FBI believes indicates that Teixeira was looking for information about the investigation into who may have leaked the classified documents.
In the small Discord server where the classified documents were posted, called 'Thug Shaker Central,' about 20 users gathered to talk about their favorite types of guns and share jokes and Internet memes. War, including a Russian invasion of Ukraine, was also on the agenda. Teixeira's motive for leaking the classified documents has not been revealed, but the Associated Press noted that 'in his testimony, Teixeira appears to have been motivated by vanity rather than ideology.'
According to a report by CNN, Teixeira worked in the Air Force developing and maintaining communications networks. It is believed that Teixeira was able to access the classified documents because he was in a position related to network security. In addition, since the images of the leaked classified documents are often wrinkled, some speculate that the documents were placed in a ' burn bag ' for storing materials scheduled for destruction and that Teixeira discovered them.
Discord, the site of this ' nightmare ' leak, was also a communication tool used by the US military to recruit young people. In a guide published in March (PDF file) just before the leak was discovered, the US Special Operations Command warned soldiers using Discord, 'Do not post anything on Discord that you don't want the general public to see.'
Despite this, a huge amount of classified information, said to be hundreds of documents, was leaked. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a press conference after Teixeira's arrest, 'The Department of Defense will review our access, accountability, and management procedures to ensure this kind of leak never happens again.'
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