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The FBI on Thursday arrested 21-year-old National Guard Airman Jack Teixeira in connection with a massive leak of highly classified U.S. intelligence documents, while suspicions deepened that the leak may have become intertwined with a disinformation and influence operation run by a foreign adversary of the United States.
Heavily armed federal agents descended on the North Dighton home of Airman Teixeira in southeastern Massachusetts minutes before Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the airman, who is assigned to the Guard’s intelligence wing, will face federal charges of unauthorized removal of classified national defense information.
The case has proven both bizarre and deeply embarrassing for the U.S. government, apparently sparked when the junior airman began posting top-secret internal Pentagon and intelligence material to an internet chat room for war gamers he managed on a social media app. It took months for the leaks to even be noticed, but the repercussions have been felt worldwide, from the front lines of Ukraine to embassies across Europe and Asia.
“FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident,” Mr. Garland said at a press conference. “He will have an initial appearance at the U.S. District Court for the district of Massachusetts.” Officials said the arraignment could come as early as Friday in Boston.
The arrest provides a little clarity on the incident, but intelligence sources on Thursday stressed that there remain more questions than answers now surrounding the case, with some pointing to Russia as a potential behind-the-scenes actor that may have manipulated the documents, as well as the obscure, private online channel where they were circulated.
Investigators believe Airman Teixeira, who was arrested at the home he reportedly shares with his mother, led a small chat group on the online server Discord, where both summaries and photos of the documents were posted, according to people familiar with the investigation.
The documents, said to number in the hundreds, exposed intelligence assessments on the state of the Ukraine war, as well as alleged U.S. spying on allies such as South Korea and Israel.
The Discord server, dubbed “Thug Shaker Central,” reportedly included about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teenagers. They would indulge in discussions about video games, guns, and often racist memes.
The Air Force said Thursday that the suspect joined the Air National Guard in September 2019 and served in the Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing as a “cyber transport systems journeyman,” charged with keeping internet connections and communications systems working at air bases. The job requires the completion of a “single-scope background investigation” for personnel who need a top-secret security clearance for access to sensitive information.
The airman’s mother told reporters her son most recently had been assigned to work the night shift at Otis Air National Guard Base, part of Joint Base Cape Cod. According to the base’s website, the intelligence wing “provides world-wide precision intelligence and command and control along with trained and experienced Airmen for expeditionary combat support and homeland security.
Television news footage of the actuall arrest showed a young man with short dark hair in a t-shirt and red shorts, walking backwards toward a heavily armed group of camouflaged agents standing beside a large armored vehicle to be apprehended.
The 21-year-old airman appears to have started sharing classified government documents on that server late last year, although the documents seem to have gone widely unnoticed until recently. Discord has said it is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation proceeds.
