Who is Jack Teixeira, the young man who leaked the Pentagon Papers?

A 21-year-old man identified by US authorities as the main suspect in the release hundreds of classified Pentagon documents online, Jack Teixeira, is an army base worker who loves video games and wants to impress his group of virtual friends. A native of Brazil, Teixeira was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, after the media like The Washington Post posted extensive profiles of the leaker’s avatar on the Discord social network, where he allegedly posted the documents.

According to The New York Timesyoung man he was not motivated by his disagreement with the actions of the US government, as was the case with previous leaks (WikiLeaks, Pentagon Papers), and although they reveal sensitive information about the war in Ukraine, it does not appear that Teixeira was involved in the conflict. Members of the Discord group where the suspect allegedly gave the documents told the newspaper that the posts they were “purely informative”.

However, the leaks show compromising details of Ukraine’s strategy, and also shed light on the United States’ spying on its own allies, such as South Korea or Israel. the forum was dedicated to discussing video games and firearmsand racist “memes” were often shared in it, according to the American media.

Teixeira allegedly took home paper documents from the military base where he worked and photographed them. I then shared those photos in a virtual group with between 20 and 30 people, including teenagers. His mother, talks to The New York Timesconfirmed that the young man worked the night shift at the Cape Cod base and had recently changed his phone number.

In the videos you’ve had access to The Washington Post the boy was seen practicing firing a rifle while shouting racist and anti-Semitic slurs. When the FBI searched Teixeira’s house, they found various firearms.

The case has raised questions about how a young man who briefly worked for the Pentagon could have access to such sensitive material. The Pentagon considers the leak of documents as “intentional crime”but he did not explain how a young man with just over three years in the Massachusetts National Guard was able to obtain classified information compromising US allies and detailing US and NATO plans to strengthen security. the anti-Turkish offensive in Ukraine.

According to The New York TimesTeixeira began working for the Massachusetts Air National Guard in October 2021, in the 102nd Intelligence Wing. Several months documents the rest are in the Discord group, which requires an invitation to enter, until recently one of its 17-year-old members posted several dozen in a public forum on the same social network.From there, they spread through Russian Telegram channels and began to attract media attention.

The rain of leaks started last Friday, continued over the weekend and continued this week. The US Attorney General, Merrick Garland, assured this Thursday, after the arrest of the young man, that the charges are related to the “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transfer of classified information related to national defense”.