‘Pentagon leaker posted video of himself shooting dad’s vintage SOVIET pistol’
EXCLUSIVE: US Airman, 20, accused of leaking Ukraine’s secrets from the Pentagon, posted video of him shooting father’s vintage SOVIET pistol, court documents allege
- Jack Teixeira reportedly shared video of him detonating Soviet-era Tokarev firearm
- The FBI seized three phones to find out more details about how Teixeira allegedly leaked the classified information
- Teixeira is accused of leaking the documents detailing Ukraine and US war effort that his allies are spying on through messaging app Discord
US aviator Jack Teixeira showed his father’s vintage Soviet handgun to the friend who betrayed him to the FBI for leaking top-secret US intelligence and military documents about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, newly filed court documents show.
A 20-page search warrant request of his divorced parents’ homes, cell phone, and red 2016 Chevrolet Colorado filed in court by FBI agent Victoria Horne provides another insight into how the federal government is planning their case against the Guardian of the United States Air Force.
Horne wrote in her affidavit that the agency has already seized three cell phones that the family voluntarily handed over on April 13, the day Teixeira was arrested.
On Friday, the US Attorney in Boston charged him with two counts under the Espionage Act of unauthorized retention and transmission of secret materials after he shared sensitive documents with the 50 or so members of his Discord gaming group known as Thug Shaker Central. Teixeira, whose 15-year prison sentence awaits, has not entered a plea.
Jack Teixeira, 21, appeared in federal court in Boston on Friday and faces 15 years in prison if convicted of illegally stealing and leaking classified information and military secrets
A 21-year-old US Air Force National Guard employee has been arrested for leaking highly sensitive US defense and intelligence documents
According to the federal agent, about 40 classified documents have been photographed or transcribed for distribution on the social media platform for gamers, and they have logs showing that Teixeira used his access to the Cape Code Air National Guard base that he must review. one of the documents.
He first began posting the sensitive information in December 2022, and in January 2023, he began posting photos of the classified documents, according to Horne’s filing.
This document appears to reflect the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and May, when they are expected to be severely depleted
A close-up of the same document appears to show just how weak Ukraine’s air defenses will be by May
Some of the information not only contains top secret information, but also describes how the US obtained it, whether through a human source or satellite intelligence or a hidden bug, the FBI agent said.
One of his social media group buddies appears to be the FBI’s key witness and partial basis for the search of the mother’s home on Maple Street and the father’s home on Walker Street in North Dighton, Massachusetts, according to the court records.
He listed both his parents’ homes, which are less than a mile apart, as his residence on his application for top secret permission.
Relatives of Jack Teixeira fought their way through a media scrum after watching the 21-year-old make a brief appearance before judges to hear the charges against him
An FBI surveillance team saw Teixiera driving back and forth between the two addresses the day he was arrested and believed he knew the FBI was closing in on him.
Teixeira’s friend who betrayed him to the FBI picked his car in a line and attached a photo of him to investigators, Horne said.
The anonymous informant told the FBI that the pilot posted a video of him firing a Tokarev firearm, a World War II Soviet semi-automatic handgun they say was part of his father’s vintage gun collection.
The FBI is asking the judge to allow the agency to seize all electronics — computers, cell phones, hard drives, thumb drives, etc. — to determine if there is evidence of more classified documents on them stand and to strengthen their case against Teixeira.