April 14, 2023 Suspect charged in US classified documents leak case | CNN Politics (2024)

An image from the Dighton-Rehoboth High School yearbook showing Teixiera with the quote “Actions speak louder than words.”

Former classmates of Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old who was formally charged Friday in federal court with leaking classified documents, described him as an odd kid who was interested in guns, the military and war.

“I could never have foreseen him doing that,” said John Powell, a former high school classmate.

Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records and graduated from Dighton-Rehoboth High School in neighboring Massachusetts in 2020.

He toted around a “dictionary-sized” book on firearms and another about “tanks, planes and submarines,” former classmates told CNN. But others said he made them feel uneasy. He made comments some perceived as racist and showed up for school after the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas wearing a shirt emblazoned with an AR-15.

“A lot of people were wary of him,” said Brooke Cleathero, a former classmate in both high school and middle school. Another former classmate said his behavior did not rise to the level where people felt the need to report him, but “he made me nervous.”

According to a probable cause affidavit unsealed Friday, investigators believe Teixeira posted national defense information and other classified documents on a social media platform.

Though the platform is not specified in the affidavit it has been identified by media outlets, including CNN, as Discord. Teixeira had access to the documents as part of his job in cyber defense operations with the Air National Guard for which he would have had to sign a “lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement,” the affidavit stated.

FBI agents interviewed at least one person who said a young man later identified as Teixeira began posting “what appeared to be classified information” on a server in December. The unidentified source told agents the server was intended to “discuss geopolitical affairs and current and historical wars.”

Teixeira is believed tohave beenthe head of an obscure invite-onlyDiscordchatroom called Thug Shaker Central, multiple US officials told CNN, where information from the classified documents was first posted months ago.

Authorities have yet to publicly assign a motive to Teixeira’s alleged security breach and the allegations seem perplexing —even to those who said they were concerned by his odd behavior in high school.

One former classmate who asked not to be named said she found Teixeira’s fascination with the military to be a form of American nationalism and was surprised by the allegations against him.

“This is a complete shock,” she said. “I didn’t think he would be capable of doing something like this.”

Majlie de Puy Kamp and Casey Tolan contributed reporting to this post.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhalspeaks at a press conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC, on Friday, April 14.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Friday declined to say if he had discussed the mass leak of classified documents in meetings with US officials in Washington this week –but emphasized that the two countries are united.

Shmyhal also did not respond to a question from CNN if any US officials had apologized about the leak of the documents, many of which concern the war in Ukraine.

“We discussed many very important questions and challenges and issues with all officials with whom we have meetings during this three days,” he said at a press conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.

In his meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Shmyhal said that they discussed “many very important strategic issues.”

He elaborated that Ukraine and the US are united on issues such as training soldiers, ammunition and weapons supplies, including long-range missiles.

Shmyhal suggested without evidence that the leak of the documents was tied to Russia, but said, “I’m sure that the investigation will demonstrate all the conclusions.”

The documents: Some of the leaked documents divulged key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a critical point in the war just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.

One document reveals that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said a source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.

This courtroom sketch shows Jack Teixeira during his arraignment in Boston on Friday.

See Also

Leaked Pentagon documents: What are the major takeaways?What the leaked Pentagon documents reveal - 8 key takeawaysWhat we know about the major Pentagon intelligence leak | CNN PoliticsLeaked secret Pentagon documents lift the lid on U.S. spying on Russia’s war in Ukraine

The suspect arrested in the leaking of classified US documents online, 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, was charged in federal court on Friday in Boston.

Here’s everything we know so far.

The charges include:

About the suspect: Teixeira, a member of Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested on Thursday in North Dighton, Massachusetts, by FBI agents.

His official job is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. According tothe Air Force,Cyber Transport Systemsspecialists are tasked with making sure the service’s “vast, global communications network” is operating correctly.

He is believed to be the head of an obscure invite-only Discord chatroom called Thug Shaker Central, multiple US officials told CNN, where information from the classified documents was first posted months ago.

Several former high school classmates told CNN that he had a fascination with the military, guns and war.

Teixeira’s access: According tocharging documents, Teixeira held a top secret security clearance and allegedly began posting information about the documents online around December 2022, and photos of documents in January.

He was assigned to the102nd Intelligence Wing, whichis a “24/7 operational mission” that takes in intelligence from various sources and packages it for some of the most senior military leaders around the globe, according to a defense official. Teixeira’s job was not to be the one packaging the intelligence for those senior commanders, but rather to work on the network on which that highly classified intelligence lived.

He was concerned about getting caught transcribing documents at work, so he started taking them home, a member of his online chat group told the FBI, according to court documents. According to investigators, a US government agency found that he also had searched for the word “leak” on his government-issued computer prior to his arrest.

What’s next: The judge scheduled a detention hearing for Teixeira on Wednesday. He will remain detained until then. Teixeira did not enter a formal plea.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthytweetedthat the House of Representatives will investigate the trove of leaked classified documents. “The Biden administration has failed to secure classified information. Through our committees, Congress will get answers as to why they were asleep at the switch,” he said.

President Joe Biden said Friday that he is calling on federal agencies to step up their security measures in the wake of a massive US classified documents leak.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a “review of our intelligence access, accountability and control procedures within the Department to inform our efforts to prevent this kind of incident from happening again,” he said in a separate statement.

Biden also shared his first public praise for the FBI’s arrest of the 21-year-old suspect, Jack Teixeira, who investigators accuse of posting the classified documents online.

“I commend the rapid action taken by law enforcement to investigate and respond to the recent dissemination of classified U.S. government documents,” Biden said in his Friday statement.

Managing the diplomatic fallout: The president was briefed last night on the arrest during his diplomatic visit to Ireland, and he has received regular updates on the US’ outreach to allies since the leak became public.

The documents contained sensitive information, including eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war.

Officials acknowledge the situation has loomed over Biden’s trip to his ancestral homeland.

Before the arrest yesterday, Biden sought to downplay the incident. “I’m concerned that it happened, but there is nothing contemporaneous that I’m aware of that is of great consequence,” he told reporters.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice headquarters on Friday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to say if others would be charged in the case of leaked classified documents but stressed the national security implications of the case in his first remarks since the suspect’s court appearance Friday.

“This is not just about taking home documents,” Garland said. “This is about the transmission” of classified material, which carries “very serious penalties.”

Garland held a press conference in Washington, DC, shortly after the 21-year-old Air National Guard member accused of leaking the documents online was formally charged.

Garland would not comment when asked whether the case would extend beyond the federal charges and into military court. A detention hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

“His first appearance was this morning,” Garland said, “and I’m really not able to talk anymore. It’s an ongoing investigation.”

US classified information leaks suspect Jack Teixeira was assigned to the102nd Intelligence Wing, whichis a “24/7 operational mission” that takes in intelligence from various sources and packages it for some of the most senior military leaders around the globe, according to a defense official.

Teixeira’s job was not to be the one packaging the intelligence for those senior commanders, but rather to work on the network on which that highly classified intelligence lived.

For that purpose, the official said Teixeira would be required to have a top secret/sensitive compartmented information (TS/SCI) clearance, in the instance that he was exposed to that level of intelligence.

“This airman, even as a young man, his job was to work on this network that carried highly classified information,” the official said. “Because of this, the information carried on the network, people who work on it have to have that kind of clearance.”

Teixeira underwent “a very rigorous background check” to obtain that clearance, the official said. People with TS/SCI clearances are required to sign nondisclosure agreements, and they are “required to self-report” if they accidentally mishandle information or have any kind of issue that “might affect your mental state or ability to continue to do your job.”

Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, has been on federal orders since Oct. 1, 2021, the official said. Before that, he was in drilling status, which is the typical status for National Guardsmen conducting monthly drills.

The social media platform where Jack Teixeira was allegedly posting classified documents, which is not named in the affidavit but which CNN has previously identified as Discord, gave the FBI information on April 12 about the account that had allegedly been posting the documents.

Teixeira used his real name and home address in North Dighton, Massachusetts, for the billing information associated with his Discord account, according to the affidavit.

“According to these records, the individual using the Subject Username is the administrator of Server 1, the billing name associated with the Subject Username is ‘Jack Teixeira,’ and the billing address associated with the Subject Username is a specific residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts. Teixeira listed the North Dighton, Massachusetts residence as his primary residence on employment paperwork with the USANG,” it said.

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-oldsuspect in the leakof classified information posted on social media, has been charged with unauthorized detention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials.

In federal court in Boston on Friday morning, Magistrate Judge David Hennessy informed Teixeira of the charges he’s facing and scheduled a detention hearing for Teixeira on Wednesday.

Read the affidavit and criminal complaint here:

The US intelligence leaks suspect was concerned about getting caught transcribing documents at work, so he started taking them home, a member of his online chat group told the FBI, according to court documents.

Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, 21, is suspected of posting the leaks. Investigators did not name the group member the FBI interviewed in the affidavit.

Teixeira, “began taking the documents to his residence and photographing them” due to his concern about getting caught, the group member told investigators, according to the court document.

The leaks included photos of crumpled documents lying on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects, such as zip-close bags and Gorilla Glue, CNN has previously reported.

The documents looked as if they had been hastily folded up and shoved into a pocket before being removed from a secure location, a source familiar with these kinds of documents told CNN.

Document leaks suspect Jack Teixeira is believed to be the head of obscure invite-only Discord chatroom called Thug Shaker Central, multiple US officials told CNN, where information from the classified documents was first posted months ago.

Four Discord users active in a different Discord chatroom where the documents later appeared told CNN the documents began circulating on Thug Shaker. Another user who was in the Thug Shaker chatroom told CNN they saw the original posts of classified documents but declined to speak further about them.

Investigators alleged that a US government agency with the ability to monitor “certain searches conducted on its classified networks” found that documents leaks suspect Jack Teixeira searched for the word “leak” on his government-issued computer.

One week before his arrest,21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Teixeira “used his government computer to search classified intelligence reporting for the word ‘leak,’” according to an affidavit.

That search led investigators to believe thatTeixeira was looking for the intelligence community’s assessment of who had leaked the classified documents online.

Intelligence leaks suspect Jack Teixeira allegedly began posting classified documents online around December 2022, according to an affidavit submitted by investigators.

The 21-year-old has held a Top Secret clearance through his IT role with the Air National Guard since 2021, according to the court document. At least one of the documents shared online was accessible to him by virtue of his employment as a guard member, the affidavit says.

He also “maintained sensitive compartmented access (SCI) to other highly classified programs,” the affidavit says.

Many of the leaked documents tied to Teixeira’s case, which were posted on the online server Discord, were marked Top Secret, according to US officials.

During the short hearing, Jack Teixeira was informed that he is facing two charges for allegedly posting classified documents online.

The two charges are unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense informationand unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material, according to court documents.

The judge scheduled a detention hearing for Teixeira on Wednesday. He will remain detained until then. Teixeira did not enter a formal plea.

Teixeira spoke quietly during the hearing, whispering “yes” as the judge informed him of his rights as a criminal defendant.

As the hearing ended, a man in the courtroom shouted, “love you, Jack.” Teixeira did not look back, but responded, “you too, dad.”

Jack Teixeira is seen in this undated photograph.

Jack Teixeira, the suspect arrested in connection with a massive US classified documents leak, has been charged with unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information, as well as unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly described the charges against the suspect.

Jack Teixeira, the suspect arrested in connection with the leaking of classified documents, has entered a Boston courtroom for his first court appearance.

He is appearing in front of Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Boston, the clerk of the District Court in Massachusetts told CNN.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman entered the courtroom wearing a tan shirt and pants from the detention center, as well as hiking boots. He walked in to the room in shackles, though his hands were uncuffed before he sat down at the defense table.

Nadine Pellegrini, the chief of the National Security Unit for the District of Massachusetts US Attorney’s Office, is sitting at the prosecution table.

The Boston courtroom is entirely full, including three people sitting onbench reserved for family. WhenTeixeira entered the courtroom, hedid not look at the members sitting there.

Security guards walk the by the entrance to the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on Friday.

Jack Teixeira, the suspect arrested in connection with the leaking of classified information,is making his first court appearance this morning in front of Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Boston, the clerk of the District Court in Massachusetts told CNN.

Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, is believed to be the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents had been posted online, multiple US officials told CNN.

Discord, the social platform where classified documents were first posted, said it is cooperating with the FBI investigation following the arrest of a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman in connection with the leaks.

Jack Teixeira, 21, is believed to be the leader of a Discord chat group where the documents were posted, multiple US officials told CNN.

The spokesperson said that Discord has banned users involved with distribution of the classified information, deleted content against its terms of service and issued warnings to those who continued to share the documents.

Ukrainian servicemen fire at Russian positions in the Donbas region last month.

CNN has reviewed 53 leakedPentagon documents, all of which appear to have been produced between mid-February and early March, that contain a wide range of highly classified information.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.

On Russia and Wagner Group:Others reveal the degree to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, largely through intercepted communications and human sources, which could now be cut off or put in danger.

On Ukraine’s military and Zelensky:Still, others divulge key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a critical point in the war, as Ukrainian forces gear up to launch a counteroffensive against the Russians – and just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.

One document reveals that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said a source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.

The US intelligence report, which is sourced to signals intelligence, says that Zelensky in late February “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” using unmanned aerial vehicles since Ukraine does not have long-range weapons capable of reaching that far.

Signals intelligence includes intercepted communications and is broadly defined by the National Security Agency as “intelligence derived from electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets, such as communications systems, radars, and weapons systems.”

On South Korean officials:Yet another document describes, in remarkable detail, a conversation between two senior South Korean national security officials about concerns by the country’s National Security Council over a US request for ammunition.

The officials worried that supplying the ammunition, which the US would then send to Ukraine, would violate South Korea’s policy of not supplying lethal aid to countries at war. According to the document, one of the officials then suggested a way of getting around the policy without actually changing it – by selling the ammunition to Poland.

Read more.

JackTeixeira is seen in this undated photograph.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts man arrested by the FBI Thursday in connection with the leaking of a trove of classified US government documents had a fascination with the military, guns and war, several former high school classmates told CNN.

Jack Teixeira would sometimeswearcamouflage to school, carried a “dictionary-sized book on guns” and behaved in a way that made some students uneasy.

John Powell, who also attended middle school and high school with Teixeira, said he recalled him as a pleasant and quiet kid who was sometimes picked on. “He didn’t have many friends,” Powell said.

Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records. He attended Dighton-Rehoboth High School in Massachusetts where he graduated in 2020, according to the superintendent of the regional school district.

Powell recalled Teixeira occasionally toting around a textbook on military vehicles — tanks, planes and submarines — and having a fascination with anything “military-related” from an early age.

Other students, who asked not to be identified, said they detected a more menacing vibe from Texeira, who some recalled making comments they perceived as racist or mumbling derogatory things about people under his breath.

One student recalled him showing up for school wearing a shirt with an AR-15 on it the day after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.

Teixeira didn’t behave in a manner that rose to the level where “people felt the need to report him,” another former classmate said, but “he made me nervous.”

The same student said she took his fascination with the military as a form of American nationalism and was therefore surprised by the allegations against him.

Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, is expected to make his initial appearance in US District Court in Boston on Friday.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder briefs the media on Thursday.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder saidthe leaking of a trove of classified informationon social media sites was a “deliberate criminal act,” and the department is looking at how it protects such information.

“We continue to review avariety of factors as it relatesto safeguarding classifiedmaterials. This includesexamining and updatingdistribution lists, assessinghow and where intelligenceproducts are shared and a varietyof other steps. I would say,though, that it is it isimportant to understand that wedo have stringent guidelines inplace for safeguardingclassified and sensitiveinformation,” Ryder told reporters Thursday.

When asked about the 21-year-old who was arrested Thursday in connection to the leaked documents, Ryder said he would not discuss the particular case, but said if someone requires a security clearance after joining the military, they go through “the proper vetting.”

“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age,” he said.

“So you’ve received training, and you will receive an understanding of the rules and requirements that come along with those responsibilities,” Ryder added. “And you’re expected to abide by those rules, regulations and responsibility; it’s called military discipline.”

The first court appearance forJack Teixeirawill be in Boston Friday, according to the US Attorney’s office. The exact timing of the appearance has not yet been announced.

Teixeira,a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard,was arrestedin connection with the alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information on Thursday.

The arrest comes after a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeirais believed to be the leader of the chat group where the documents were posted, multiple US officials told CNN.

Jack Teixeira is taken in custody by authorities in Massachusetts on Thursday.

Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard,was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursdayin connection to a leak online of classified US intelligence.

The leaked documents appeared last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN. Teixeira, 21, is believed to be the leader of a Discord chat group where the documents were posted, multiple US officials told CNN.

The documents included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including the state of the war in Ukraine.

Attorney General Merrick Garlandsaid Teixeira was arrestedin connection with the alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.

ThePentagon has begun to limitwho across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following the leak.

The arrest: The suspect was under surveillance for at least a couple of days prior to his arrest,according to a US government source familiar with the case. He was expected to go to work Thursday, where the FBI intended to take him into custody under more controlled circ*mstances, according to the source.

When the suspect did not go to work, agents who were already positioned outside his mother’s house waited for the suspect to come out,the source said.This search and arrest effort accelerated when reporters for The New York Times knocked on the house door and spoke to people inside.

Teixeira will first appear in court on Friday in Boston, according to the US attorney’s office there.

Here’s what else we know about the suspect: