In a statement released on the evening of April 13 local time, US Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Jack Teixeira, 21 years old, a former member of the 102nd Intelligence Unit of the Massachusetts National Guard, on the same afternoon.
Teixeira is the prime suspect in the leak of classified documents that has shocked the US in recent times. Minister Garland also revealed that the arrest was carried out without "meeting resistance" from the suspect.
"Today, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into the theft, storage, and unauthorized transmission of classified defense information. Teixeira is a former member of the U.S. Air National Guard," Garland said.
Photos released showed heavily armed FBI agents and an armored vehicle being used to carry out the arrest in a residential area in Dighton, Massachusetts. At the time of the arrest, the suspect, Teixeira, was wearing red shorts and a gray T-shirt.
The moment FBI agents arrested the suspect in the leak of top secret US documents
According to the US Attorney General, Teixeira will have his first appearance in the Federal Court in Boston, Massachusetts on March 14. The investigation of the suspect is still being conducted by the FBI with close coordination with the US military.
Previously, US media reported that top secret documents from the US Department of Defense were leaked on a Discord chat room with about 30 members. According to the Washington Post , this chat room was created by members with common interests in video games, guns and racist images.
In order to "show off" to other members, suspect Teixeira shared about 300 images from more than 100 top secret US documents in this chat room.
The US National Guard has not yet commented on the arrest of suspect Jack Teixeira. When asked about the incident, US Department of Defense spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder also refused to disclose further information about the suspect's identity, while affirming that this is an investigation under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice.
Over the past week, more than 100 top secret documents from the US Department of Defense were leaked, causing a stir among the country's defense and intelligence officials.
The above documents have revealed many secret military activities and cooperation between the US military and its allies. In particular, many important details related to NATO's activities in Ukraine are also included in the leaked documents.
The incident has drawn criticism from the Pentagon, with some military experts saying the incident occurred because the US military had granted too many people access to classified information.
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