A 21-year-old Air Force National Guardsman denies being guilty of leaking top-secret documents from the US Department of Defense.
The 21-year-old Air Force National Guardsman accused of leaking top-secret documents from the US Department of Defense Jack Teixeira appeared in court yesterday Wednesday in Worchester, Massachusetts.
Six charges have been brought against Teixeira for storing and passing on information related to national defense. Each of the charges could lead to up to ten years in prison. Teixeira pleaded not guilty to each charge.
He wrote about it, for example NCB News.
The so-called Discord leak is the most serious data leak in the United States since 2013. Teixeira is suspected of sharing documents on the Discord messaging service from January 2022 until April of the same year, i.e. until his arrest. Some of the documents Teixeira shared later also appeared on other sites, for example Twitter and 4Chan.
The documents highlighted, among other things, US concerns about Ukraine’s military capability when the Eastern European country was defending itself against invading Russian forces. In addition, the documents showed that the United States has apparently been spying on its allies Israel and South Korea.
The case has raised questions about how Teixeira had access to top secret information. Teixeira had been at a fairly low level in the Air Force personnel hierarchy, but he had still had a security clearance that allowed him access to highly classified information.
In May, prosecutors said Teixeira may still have access to classified documents. In addition, they estimated that hostile nations could help him escape if he were released from prison.
According to defense lawyers, Teixeira no longer has access to classified documents. The defense was also of the opinion that the possible threat posed by Teixeira is exaggerated.
Teixeira was arrested around mid-April. The police operation was broadcast live on several television channels in the United States.
Sources: STT, AFP, NBC News