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Pentagon leak suspect may still have access to classified info, court filings allege Pentagon leak suspect may still have access to classified info, court filings allege
(about 2 hours later)
Jack Teixeira, 21, expected to appear in Massachusetts court on Thursday as prosecutors urge judge to keep him behind bars Jack Teixeira, 21, appears in federal court in Massachusetts as prosecutors urge judge to keep him behind bars
The Massachusetts air national guardsman suspected of leaking highly classified US intelligence documents is set to appear in federal court on Thursday, after federal prosecutors urged a judge to keep the suspect behind bars. A detention hearing for the US air national guardsman suspected of leaking highly classified US intelligence documents took place on Thursday in federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jack Teixeira, 21, is expected to appear at 1pm ET for a detention hearing in Worcester, Massachusetts. Federal prosecutors urged a judge to keep Jack Teixeira, 21, behind bars, arguing he could still pose a grave risk to US national security and have access to secret national defense information.
The presiding judge, David Hennessy, will decide if Teixeira should remain in federal custody prior to his trial. The presiding judge, David Hennessy, will ultimately decide where Teixeira stays until trial.
In court papers filed late on Wednesday, justice department lawyers said releasing Teixeira from jail while he awaits trial would be a grave threat to US national security, arguing he may still have access to secret national defense information he could expose. Teixeira entered the courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs and carying rosary beads, CNN reported.
Investigators are still trying to determine whether he kept any physical or digital copies of classified information, including files that haven’t already surfaced publicly, they wrote. Several individuals filled a section of the court reserved for friends and family. One individual began sobbing as Teixiera entered.
“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. In court papers filed late on Wednesday, justice department lawyers said releasing Teixeira while he awaits trial would present a grave threat to national security, arguing he may still have access to secret information.
Investigators are still trying to determine if Teixeira kept physical or digital copies of classified information, including files that have not yet surfaced publicly.
“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.
“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.”“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.”
Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the highest-profile intelligence leak in years. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday in a federal court. Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the highest-profile intelligence leak in years. Defense lawyers asked that he be released into the custody of his father, also named Jack Teixeira.
Prosecutors said in their filing that Teixeira’s attorneys have indicated they will urge the judge to release him to his father’s home. As of late Wednesday, Teixeira’s attorneys had not filed court papers arguing for his release. During Thursday’s hearing, Teixeira Sr told the presiding judge he would not hesitate to report his son to the court if he violated the terms of his release.
Teixeira has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not yet entered a plea, and his attorney declined after last week’s hearing to speak to reporters. “My son is well aware of the fact that if he is released and does anything against probation, I will report it to his probation officer or anyone else,” said Teixeira.
If convicted, prosecutors said he faces up to 25 years in prison. The senior Teixeira said his house was equipped with several Ring cameras that would notify him if his son were to leave the house, as well as several cameras on the property.
He is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chatroom on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers. Teixeira has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not entered a plea. After a hearing last week, his attorney declined to speak to reporters. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.
The classified documents provided a wide variety of highly classified information on allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukraine’s air defences to Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Teixeira is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chatroom on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.
In describing Teixeira as a danger to the community, prosecutors wrote that the suspect, who owned multiple guns, repeatedly had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder” on the platform where authorities say he shared the documents. In February, he told another person that he was tempted to make a minivan into an “assassination van”, prosecutors wrote. The documents provided a wide variety of highly classified information on allies and adversaries, with details ranging from Ukraine’s air defences to Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
Teixeira is accused of searching for recent shootings and shooting-related terms including “Las Vegas shooting”, “Buffalo tops shooting”, and “Uvalde” that were not pertinent to his military base job. In describing Teixeira as a danger to the community, prosecutors wrote that the suspect, who owns multiple guns, repeatedly had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder” on the Discord platform. In February, he told another person he was tempted to make a minivan into an “assassination van”, prosecutors wrote.
An application for a firearms ID card that Teixeira filed “was denied due to the concerns of the local police department over the Defendant’s remarks at his high school”, the Washington Post reported. Teixeira is accused of searching for recent shootings and terms including “Las Vegas shooting”, “Buffalo tops shooting”, and “Uvalde” not pertinent to his military base job.
Prosecutors also disclosed that Teixeira was suspended during high school when a classmate overheard him discussing molotov cocktails and other weapons and racial threats. An application for a firearms ID card that Teixeira filed “was denied due to the concerns of the local police department over the defendant’s remarks at his high school”, the Washington Post reported.
Prosecutors alleged in their filing that Teixeira took steps to destroy evidence after news outlets began reporting on the documents leak. Authorities who searched a dumpster at his home found a smashed laptop, tablet and Xbox gaming console, they said. Prosecutors also disclosed that Teixeira was suspended from high school when a classmate overheard him discussing Molotov cocktails, other weapons and racial threats.
The justice department has said its investigation is continuing, and the Pentagon has said it would conduct its own review of access to sensitive intelligence to prevent a similar leak in the future. Prosecutors alleged that Teixeira took steps to destroy evidence after news outlets began reporting on the documents leak. Authorities who searched a dumpster at his home found a smashed laptop, tablet and Xbox gaming console, they said.
Billing records the FBI obtained from Discord were among the things that led authorities to Teixeira, who enlisted in the air national guard in September 2019. The justice department has said its investigation is continuing, and the Pentagon has said it will conduct a review of access to sensitive intelligence to prevent a similar leak in the future.
His specialty in the air national guard was as a “cyber transport systems specialist”, essentially an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks. In that role, Teixeira would have had a higher level of security clearance because he would have also been tasked with responsibility to access and ensure protection for the network, a defence official told AP. Billing records the FBI obtained from Discord were among factors that led authorities to Teixeira, who enlisted in the air national guard in September 2019.
A Discord user told the FBI that a username linked to Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information roughly in December. His role in the guard was as a “cyber transport systems specialist”, essentially an IT specialist responsible for military communications networks. In that role, Teixeira would have had a higher level of security clearance because he would have been tasked with responsibility to access and ensure protection for the network, a defence official told the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, the air force suspended the commander and a detachment commander in the squadron that Teixeira was employed, reported NBC News. A Discord user told the FBI a username linked to Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information around December.
The intelligence mission of Teixeira’s squadron has also been suspended as the investigation continues. On Wednesday, the air force suspended the commander and a detachment commander in the squadron where Teixeira was employed, NBC reported. The intelligence mission of Teixeira’s squadron has also been suspended.