US government arrests 21-year-old employee

Federal agents approached the suspect in an armored vehicle with full military equipment and arrested Teixeira at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts, a small town with a population of about 8,000 people and 50 miles (80 km) from Boston.

The raid comes a week after a leak of classified documents that has rattled Washington, embarrassing the US after revealing details of its spying on its allies and weaknesses in the Ukrainian military.

The leak is considered the most serious security breach since WikiLeaks leaked more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic messages in 2010.

According to Teixeira’s service record, he is a private first class at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts. Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in 2019 as a “Digital Information Transport Systems Officer.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters that Teixeira is wanted “in connection with an investigation into the unauthorized removal, possession and transfer of classified defense information.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said agents were conducting “lawful law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts.”

Aerial news video showed Teixeira, holding his hands behind his head, walking backward toward an armored vehicle as an officer watched from a gun mount. He was then handcuffed and placed in the back of the vehicle. Teixeira was taken into custody “without incident,” Garland said.

The possibility of criminal charges is very high.

The Justice Department has not said what charges Teixeira will face, but it is likely to bring criminal charges for willful possession and dissemination of national defense information.

The charges could land Teixeira in prison for up to 10 years, even if he did not intend to cause harm, said Brandon Van Grack, a former Justice Department national security prosecutor who now works for U.S. Attorney Morrison Foerster.

“He is facing many years in prison because this leak has caused so much damage,” he said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that a Pentagon task force has been “working tirelessly to assess and mitigate the damage from the leak.”

Teixeira is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston.

Nguyen Quang Minh (According to Reuters)

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