FBI Arrests 21-Year-Old Suspected of Leaking Files

UPDATE Apr 13, 2023 2:18 PM CDT

"Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information," Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday. The 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested in North Dighton "without incident," reports NBC News. Garland said Teixeria would be charged with the unauthorized removal of classified national defense information, reports the AP. The New York Times earlier reported it had determined Teixeira was the leader of an online group where the files were shared; dubbed Thug Shaker Central, its couple of dozen young members "came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and video games."

Apr 13, 2023 12:18 PM CDT

The leader of an online group where classified military documents were leaked is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, according to the New York Times. While the FBI has yet to name any suspects, the Times says it was able to connect Airman Jack Teixeira to the "Thug Shaker Central" private Discord group through digital evidence including online gaming records. Members of the group say the leader, known to them as "OG," had access to classified documents through his job and started sharing them last year.

The Times reports that it compared photos of the inside of Teixeria's childhood home that were posted to social media with what appeared in the margins of the photos of the leaked documents; they synced, per the paper. A man at Teixeria's home told the Times that Teixeria "needs to get an attorney if things are flowing the way they are going right now." He added: "The Feds will be around soon, I’m sure." The paper also spoke with Teixeria's mom, who noted her son had gotten a new phone number within the last few days. The AP's sources confirmed the FBI wants to question a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the leak, though they did not provide a name. (More leaked documents stories.)