The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made an arrest related to the leak of United States military intelligence documents, with Attorney General Merrick Garland saying that a 21-year-old member of the US Air Force National Guard was taken into custody “without incident”.
The arrest of Jack Teixeira on Thursday came “in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention and transmission of classified national defence information”, Garland told reporters.
Pentagon officials said they were still assessing the scale and scope of the leak, which appeared to show classified information about the war in Ukraine and US allies.
Officials have repeatedly warned, however, that some of the documents had been doctored and may be used in disinformation campaigns.
While authorities have offered few details about Teixeira, information about his life started to appear in US media in the wake of his arrest.
Video showed heavily armed officers in Massachusetts accompanying a young man wearing a grey T-shirt and bright red shorts into a waiting car. His head was bowed and his hair was close-cropped.
The New York Times reported that Teixeira was a member of the intelligence wing of the state national guard. A post on the unit’s official Facebook page noted he was among a group of members promoted to Airman First Class in July 2022.
The Air Force later said Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in September 2019. His official job title was “cyber transport systems journeyman”.
The role is tasked with maintaining the underlying infrastructure of the Air Force’s “vast, global communications network”.
“Whether it’s repairing a network hub at a stateside base or installing fiber-optic cable at a forward installation overseas, these experts keep our communications systems up and running and play an integral role in our continuing success,” a description of the role on the Air Force’s website said.
Documents shared online
The Times and other US media have also identified Teixeira as the leader of a small gaming chat group on the Discord platform, where the leaked documents first emerged.
The Washington Post previously reported that the online group formed in 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The chat group, composed of about two dozen young men and boys, bonded over their love of guns, military gear and religion. Membership was by invitation only, according to the newspaper.
One member said: “We all grew very…