Washington: The US law enforcement officials have arrested a 21-year-old Air Force National Guard member who leaked a trove of classified government documents on instant messaging app Discord which is popular among teenagers.
The suspect, Jack Teixeira, was arrested from his home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, late on Thursday.
“The Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information,” it said in a statement.
Teixeira is an employee of the United States Air Force National Guard.
Teixeira will have an initial appearance at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
“This investigation is ongoing. We will share more information at the appropriate time,” said the Justice Department.
The FBI said that the arrest “exemplifies our continued commitment to identifying, pursuing, and holding accountable those who betray our country’s trust and put our national security at risk.”
Military records show that Teixeira holds the rank of airman first class and has been in uniform since he entered the Air National Guard in September 2019.
“He has been based at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod and is assigned as a cyber transport systems journeyman,” according to NBC News.
The Pentagon first discovered the sensitive documents posted to Discord, Twitter and Telegram last week, which revealed details about the Russia-Ukraine war along with information about America’s efforts to spy on Russia and its allies.
According to a report from The Washington Post, the original leaker was known as “OG” within the private Discord server “Thug Shaker Central,” where he also served as the administrator.
–IANS