National Guard member leaks classified documents on Discord
The Air Force National Guard member, Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested on Thursday at his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts after a trove of classified documents was leaked on Discord.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information.”
Last week, the Pentagon discovered sensitive documents posted on Discord, Twitter, Telegram, and 4chan. The leaks revealed details about the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as US spying efforts on Russia.
The leaked documents may even cause diplomatic tensions between Serbia and Russia, as one allegedly reveals Serbia provided lethal aid to Ukraine.
Documents were initially found with apparent alterations, including one on a Telegram channel that suggested Ukraine lost more soldiers than had been documented.
In a later investigation, it was determined that unaltered versions had been posted earlier than initially believed and then spread to other channels by third parties. Bellingcat discovered that the documents may have been posted as early as January.
It was reported in The Washington Post that the original leaker was known as “OG” on the private Discord server “Thug Shaker Central,” where he also served as admin.
A suspect reportedly posted typed-up versions of the documents to the server, but later switched to sharing actual photos after becoming frustrated with the members’ lack of interaction.
According to The New York Times, the FBI made the connection between Teixeira and these photographs because of the decorations, countertops, and flooring in the background.
Defense Department press secretary Patrick Ryder declined to comment on how many documents were leaked on Thursday, saying that law enforcement is still investigating.
The company publicly announced on Wednesday that it is cooperating with the Department of Justice’s investigation. Discord didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
Ryder said, “We have safeguards in place, we have processes, we have procedures, and will continue to do due diligence as part of this review to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to prevent potential unauthorized disclosures in the future, recognizing that again, this was a criminal, deliberate act.”
