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Jack Teixeira: Prosecutors say airman poses ongoing national security risk Jack Teixeira: Releasing US leaks suspect a security risk, prosecutors say
(about 7 hours later)
Jack Teixeira in a photo posted on social media before his arrestJack Teixeira in a photo posted on social media before his arrest
Federal prosecutors in the US say that Jack Teixeira, the airman charged with leaking secret defence information, may still have access to classified material. US prosecutors say Jack Teixeira, the airman charged with leaking secret military information, may still have access to classified material.
Mr Teixeira worked as an IT specialist at the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron in Massachusetts. They said he should remain in jail pre-trial as he could cause "extraordinary" damage to national security.
Prosecutors are requesting that he remain in jail while awaiting trial as he poses a "serious flight risk". Prosecutors also said the 21-year-old had a history of making violent and racial threats.
The 21-year-old is due to appear a detention hearing on Thursday. They will make the case for him to remain behind bars at a detention hearing in Massachusetts on Thursday.
Investigators are still working to determine how Mr Teixeira allegedly leaked more than 100 pages of classified documents that included sensitive information about US allies and the war in Ukraine. Investigators are still working to determine how Mr Teixeira allegedly leaked dozens of files. They are also investigating whether he kept any physical or digital copies.
In court documents filed on Wednesday, the lawyers argued that Mr Teixeira posed an "ongoing risk both to the national security of the United States and to the community." The documents, which first appeared in the online chat room Discord, included sensitive information about US allies and the war in Ukraine.
"The nature of the materials that the Defendant accessed - not all of which have publicly surfaced - have the capacity to cause additional exceptionally grave damage to the US national security if disclosed," reads the document. Mr Teixeira's legal team have not commented on the case but they are expected to argue he should not be detained before trial.
Prosecutors have also said that Mr Teixeira's "obstructive and deceptive acts to date compound his risk of flight and dangerousness". They state that after his arrest, the FBI found a tablet, a laptop and an Xbox gaming console at his home that had been smashed and placed in a dumpster. In a 48-page court filing on Wednesday, the justice department outlined their argument for keeping Mr Teixeira behind bars.
"These efforts appeared calculated to delay or prevent the government from gaining a full understanding of the seriousness and scale of his conduct." "There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession," prosecutors wrote.
Two commanders at Mr Teixeira's unit have been put on leave pending an investigation, the US Air Force said. "The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary."
They have also temporarily lost access to classified systems and information. In the filing, prosecutors said Mr Teixeira had accessed large amounts of sensitive information which "far exceeds what has been publicly disclosed".
Prosecutors also said that, after his arrest, the FBI found a tablet, a laptop and an Xbox gaming console at his home that had been smashed and placed in a dumpster.
They also alleged Mr Teixeira had a history of making violent threats. He discussed violence and murder on Discord and was prone to making "racial threats" on the platform, prosecutors wrote.
The filing also disclosed that Mr Teixeira was suspended during high school when a classmate overheard him making threats and discussing Molotov cocktails as well as other weapons.
More US leaks coverage:
Suspect talked memes, video games and war
What punishment awaits the Pentagon files leaker?
Eight things we learned from the files
How secret files on Ukraine spread, then disappeared
Meanwhile, two commanders at Mr Teixeira's unit, the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron in Massachusetts, have been put on leave pending an investigation.
They have temporarily lost access to classified systems and information, the US Air Force said in a statement. Their names have not been released.
The Air Force told the BBC's US news partner CBS that more members of Mr Teixeira's unit could face suspension or removal as the investigation into the leaked documents continued.The Air Force told the BBC's US news partner CBS that more members of Mr Teixeira's unit could face suspension or removal as the investigation into the leaked documents continued.
The suspended leaders were the operation commander and detachment commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing, the US Air Force said.
"Both the squadron's state Air National Guard operational commander and current federal orders administrative commander have been suspended pending completion of the Department of the Air Force Inspector General Investigation," an Air Force spokesman told Reuters news agency.
Their names were not released.
The unit was relieved of its intelligence-gathering duties earlier this month.The unit was relieved of its intelligence-gathering duties earlier this month.
All units were also ordered to carry out a "security-focused stand down" some time in the next month, the Air Force said.
The leaked intelligence material first appeared in a Discord chat room, which Mr Teixeira is said to have helped administer.The leaked intelligence material first appeared in a Discord chat room, which Mr Teixeira is said to have helped administer.
The documents were then shared outside the chat room by some of its members, the FBI said.The documents were then shared outside the chat room by some of its members, the FBI said.
The agency said that Mr Teixeira had held a "top secret" security clearance since 2021, and that he would have "signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to take on his role in the US Air Force. The agency earlier said Mr Teixeira held "top secret" security clearance since 2021, and that he would have "signed a lifetime binding non-disclosure agreement" to take on his role in the US Air Force.
Mr Teixeira faces up to 15 years in prison over charges of unauthorised transmission of defence information. Mr Teixeira faces up to 25 years in prison over charges of unauthorised transmission of defence information.
He is also charged with the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.He is also charged with the unauthorised removal and retention of classified documents.
Related TopicsRelated Topics
Pentagon leaksPentagon leaks
Jack TeixeiraJack Teixeira
United StatesUnited States
UkraineUkraine