How FBI discovered suspect in Pentagon paperwork leak probe
Teixeira was recognized by the administator of Discord, a social media platform, the FBI stated.
Teixeira held a prime secret clearance and allegedly bought paperwork together with his work pc.
The FBI tracked down Jack Teixeira , the Air Power Nationwide Guard airman who’s charged with leaking categorised paperwork in regards to the warfare in Ukraine , by the social media account the place he posted the knowledge, based on court docket data.
The FBI had been investigating the unauthorized posting of dozens of photographs of categorised paperwork, a lot of which have been marked “prime secret,” on a wide range of web websites. A few of the paperwork have been used throughout Pentagon briefings of army leaders and civilian officers.
Teixeira accessed one of many paperwork in February 2023, about at some point earlier than it was posted on the web, based on FBI Particular Agent Patrick Lueckenhoff.
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On April 6, Teixeira used his authorities pc to seek for categorised intelligence reporting for the phrase “leak,” which prompt he was searching for details about the intelligence group was looking for him, Lueckenhoff stated in an affidavit.
On Monday, authorities interviewed the administrator of Discord, a social media platform for voice, video and texting largely utilized by teenagers, in regards to the paperwork that started showing in December, Lueckenhoff stated. By January, the person started posting paperwork in regards to the warfare in Ukraine, together with troop actions primarily based on categorised sources and strategies, Lueckenhoff stated.
The administrator spoke by video chat or voice calls with the particular person posting the paperwork, Lueckenhoff stated. The conversations revealed the person, a clean-cut white male in his 20s, known as himself Jack, lived in Massachusetts and labored for the Air Nationwide Guard.
On Wednesday, Discord supplied the FBI with data describing Teixeira and his deal with in North Dighton, Mass. Investigators discovered Teixeira held prime secret and delicate compartmented info clearances due to his job as an airman within the Air Nationwide Guard.
FBI brokers arrested Teixiera with out incident the subsequent day, based on Legal professional Basic Merrick Garland.