Who is Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old the National Guard member who leaked classified US documents?

A 21-year-old member of the National Guard was arrested Thursday by FBI officials for posting photos of between 50 and 100 classified US documents online.

Jack Teixeira was a member of the intelligence division of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and unofficial leader of an online group called “Thug Shaker Central” – within which he distributed the documents, many of which related to the war in Ukraine.

Teixeira was the oldest in the group of mostly young men and teenagers, who were crazy about gaming, guns and right-wing memes. He was called ‘Jack the dripper’ and was referred to as ‘OG’ by other members.

Airman Teixeira is conscripted into the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base.

His official job title is Cyber ​​Transport Systems journeyman. The Air Force says such specialists ensure that the agency’s “extensive, global communications network” is working properly.

He entered service in September 2019 and was promoted to pilot first class in July. Despite holding a menial position, he had the highest level of access to top secret US government information.

Teixeira was one of the oldest in a Discord called Thug Shaker Central which was made up of mostly young men and teens, who loved gaming, guns and right-wing memes

His mother recently told the New York Timeshe had worked night shifts and an air force base on Cape Cod.

Teixeira has been accused of releasing hundreds of classified military documents on Discord, a social media platform used by gamers to organize and communicate in groups.

Many of the leaked documents in the Thug Shaker Discord related to the war in Ukraine. Started several months ago – it is estimated that between 50 and 100 secret documents were photographed and posted online.

Certain members who spoke to The Times said the documents they discussed online were purely informational and that they were not taking sides in the war.

However, the leaked documents didn’t really gain traction until they were reposted in another Discord group dedicated to a 20-year-old British student and YouTuber known as Wow Mao.

Teixeira was first identified as the suspected leaker by the New York Times, who claims to have confirmed a connection after matching the countertop in his kitchen with the surface on which photographs of the leaked documents had been taken.

Teixeira was arrested Thursday from his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, and will face charges under the 1917 Espionage Act.

He will appear in court in Boston on Friday, according to the US Attorney’s Office.

Airman Teixeira is conscripted into the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard at Otis Air National Guard Base

CNN aired aerial footage of Teixeira’s arrest after he was mentioned by the New York Times earlier on Thursday

Two members of the chat room described Teixeira to The Washington Post Wednesday evening.

‘He’s fit. He is strong. He’s armed. He’s trained. Pretty much everything you’d expect from a crazy movie,” said one of the members.

He described him as “a young, charismatic man who loves nature, God, shooting guns and racing cars.”

During an intense search for the source of the leaks, The Washington Post reported seeing videos and photos of the man, as well as recordings of his interactions with members of the group.

In a video seen by The Post, the man can be seen at a shooting range with a large rifle, wearing goggles and earmuffs. The man looks into the camera and shouts racial and anti-Semitic slurs, then fires several rounds at a target.

News helicopter footage aired Thursday of his arrest showed the suspect in red shorts, hands behind his back, being placed in an unmarked SUV by heavily armed officers.

The FBI said in a statement that its agents continue to conduct “authorized law enforcement activities at the residence” where he was arrested.

Brandon Van Grack, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor who now works at the law firm Morrison Foerster, said the likely charges could be up to 10 years in prison, even if Teixeira had no intention of causing harm.

“I think this is someone who has been in prison for years because the leaks were so damaging,” Van Grack said.

The inside of Teixeira’s childhood home in Bristol, Massachusetts, matched photos of the sensitive files about US intelligence and the war in Ukraine that have been shared on forums since late last year, according to the Times

One of the leaked documents, posted online, sparked an FBI hunt for the source and a criminal investigation

This document appears to reflect the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and May, when they are expected to be severely depleted

His arrest comes after President Joe Biden said on the third day of his trip to Ireland that investigators were “getting closer” to finding the source.

Biden also said he was not “concerned” about sharing the documents that threatened US assets around the world because the information is not “contemporary.”

The intelligence in the files contains information suggesting that Ukraine will soon run out of artillery, potentially endangering U.S. intelligence sources around the world.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned that rules on access to classified documents could be tightened as a result of the leak.

He said he “would not hesitate to take any additional measures necessary to protect our country’s secrets.”

“Every member of the United States Service, (Department of Defense) civilian and contractor with access to classified information has a solemn legal and moral obligation to protect it and report suspicious activity or behavior,” he said.

Going further than Austin, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder called the leak of classified information a “deliberate, criminal act.”

And hours after Teixeira’s arrest, Mike Turner, the Republican congressman who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, vowed to “investigate why this happened, why it went undetected for weeks, and how to prevent future leaks.”