Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who was arrested Thursday after coming forward as a prime suspect in the release of highly classified US military documents, often spoke of God, guns and the secrets of war.
In a world where social networks produce a range of traceable information, it didn’t take long for federal authorities and journalists specializing in data verification to come up with the name Jack Teixeira.
Teixeira, 21, who served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in connection with the release of high-profile classified documents that rocked capitals from Washington to Kiev to Seoul with revelations of espionage, from the United States to allies and enemies, and the release of sensitive military intelligence about the war in Ukraine.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira would face charges of unauthorized theft of classified national defense information.
There were clues in posts posted to a conversational forum on Discord, a platform where Teixeira reportedly posted for years about guns, games, and his favorite memes — in addition to previously well-kept American secrets.
Investigative journalism website Bellingcat and The New York Times first publicly identified Teixeira on Thursday, minutes before federal officials confirmed he was a person of interest in the investigation. Both followed profiles on other, more obscure ‘sites’ linked to Teixeira.
The suspect would have had access to highly classified information as part of his professional duties.
The case underscores the challenges the United States and other governments face in keeping secrets in an age of ubiquitous data and an increasing number of savvy users who know how to exploit it.
When asked how such a young soldier – just 21 years old – could gain access to highly classified documents, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said it is in the nature of the military to give its very young members a great degree of responsibility, including a significant degree of security. issues.
Soldiers fresh out of high school went on to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones, often using top secret intelligence and programs to attack opponents.
“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility from a very young age. Think of a young combat platoon sergeant and the responsibility and trust we place in these individuals to lead troops into battle,” said Ryder.
In previous statements to the Associated Press (AP) agency, the discloser of confidential information was identified as “The OG” by a member of a “chat” group that Teixeira and other people have been posting on for years. The group member declined to be identified to the AP, citing concerns for his personal safety.
Dubbed “Thug Shaker Central,” the support group drew about two dozen enthusiasts who talked about their favorite gun types and also shared memes and jokes, some of them racist. The group also held an ongoing discussion about wars, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In that thread, “The OG” published material for months that it said was confidential – originally typed with its own notes. However, a few months ago, he began posting images of creased documents because he felt his essays were not being taken seriously, the source told the AP.
Another group member shared some files in another chat group – and from there they seem to have spread all over the internet.
The AP source said he did not speak to Teixeira on Thursday, but kept in touch earlier in the week. Jack Teixeira said he knew the FBI was looking for him.
According to Facebook posts from the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, Teixeira was a first class airman assigned to an Air Force intelligence unit.
In the National Air Guard, Teixeira was a “cybernetic transport systems specialist”, that is, an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. In that role, the youngster would have a higher level of security clearance because he would also have the responsibility of accessing and ensuring the protection of the network, a defense official told the AP.
The National Guard said in a statement that it is aware of the investigation and “takes this matter very seriously”.
“National security is our top priority and any attempt to undermine it undermines our values and undermines trust between our members, the public, allies and partners,” the statement said.
On Thursday, police officers blocked the street in front of the house that was determined to belong to Teixeira’s family.
The source who spoke to the AP said “The OG” — whom he recognized as Teixeira on Thursday — was a Christian who often talked about God and prayed with members of the support group.
While on duty, Teixeira opposed many of the US government’s priorities and denounced the military “for being led by elite politicians,” the chat member said, adding that he didn’t know why Teixeira was listed first .
However, the source stressed that he does not believe Teixeira made the documents public with the intent to undermine the US government or for any ideological reason.
When the New York Times first ran a story about the documents last week, the source said, members of the group were on a video call with “The OG.”
“What he was really saying was, ‘I’m so sorry guys, I’ve been praying every day that this wouldn’t happen,'” the source said. “I’ve prayed and prayed and now it’s up to God to decide what happens next,” he added.
Source: DN
