Jack Teixeira, the ex-Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified military intel, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday.
The 21-year-old was indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense secrets in Massachusetts after he was arrested in April, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Teixeira was identified as the possible Pentagon leaker after troves of classified docs were discovered in an invite-only Discord group – a social media platform typically used for gamers — before they were later shared more widely.
He pleaded not guilty to charges tied to a criminal complaint earlier this year but has not been arraigned following the newly unsealed indictment against him.
He was ordered to stay in jail ahead of his trial last month by a federal judge who said Teixeira would possibly flee the country or obstruct justice if released.
“As laid out in the indictment, Jack Teixeira was entrusted by the United States government with access to classified national defense information — including information that reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if shared,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Thursday.
“Teixeira is charged with sharing information with users on a social media platform he knew were not entitled to receive it. In doing so, he is alleged to have violated U.S. law and endangered our national security.”
The highly classified military information he was accused of disclosing included information tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The major breach exposed closely held secret assessments of the ongoing war, as well as other capabilities and geopolitical interests of other countries and other national security issues.
The indictment alleges he disseminated info including “regarding the compromise by a foreign adversary” that was classified as top secret and “a government document discussing a plot by a foreign adversary to target United States Forces abroad.” That planned attack allegedly indicated where and how the attack on US personnel would happen.
Teixeira transcribed the information he was leaking and other times posted photos of the documents, prosecutors alleged.
Teixeira enlisted in the US Air National Guard in 2019 and was granted top-secret security clearance in 2021, the Justice Department said.
He allegedly began unlawfully holding and transmitting national defense information that included “top secret” or “secret” classifications around January 2022, prosecutors said.
Individuals granted security clearances are entrusted to protect classified information and safeguard our nation’s secrets,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
“The allegations in today’s indictment reveal a serious violation of that trust.”
If found guilty on all charges, Teixeira could spend decades in prison.
With Post wires
