Attorney General Garland Gives Update As FBI Makes Arrest In Connection With Leak Of U.S. Military Documents

Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts resident, has been arrested in connection with the unauthorized removal and transmission of classified U.S. military documents, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland. Teixeira was taken into custody by FBI agents and is slated to appear at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The New York Times reports that Teixeira was allegedly the leader of an online Discord server called “Thug Shaker Central,” on which hundreds of photos of classified material were posted. The documents reportedly contain information about battlefield conditions in Ukraine, foreign adversary’s weapons systems, U.S. intelligence penetration into the Russian military, and more.

According to The Washington Post, members of the group didn’t believe the alleged leaker, called “OG,” was attempting to help any foreign power or government, but was rather trying to show off. They note that the leaker expressed anti-government sentiment. The FBI statement, however, states that the matter is still under investigation, and they cannot comment further. President Joe Biden said earlier this week that the authorities are “getting close” to apprehending the responsible party, and CNN reported on Thursday that the number of potential suspects has been narrowed down to a “small number.”