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FBI investigators have arrested Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old suspected of being behind the biggest US intelligence leak in nearly a decade.
Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that the National Guardsman had been arrested in North Dighton, Massachusetts ‘without incident’.
He said Teixeira will appear in a local court as part of the investigation into ‘alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmissions of classified national defense information.’
He was a member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the leader of an online chat group where top secret Pentagon documents were published.
It is the most embarrassing security breach for any US administration since WikiLeaks obtained more than 700,000 classified documents and diplomatic cables in 2013.
Teixeira was a member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and the ringleader of an online chat group where he allegedly published top secret Pentagon documents under the username ‘Jack the dripper’.
The FBI said in a statement that its officers are ‘continuing to conduct authorized law enforcement activity at the residence’ where the suspect was arrested.
And in unusually blunt remarks, it vowed to push on with ‘identifying, pursuing, and holding accountable those who betray our country’s trust and put our national security at risk.’
Teixeira’s identity was first revealed by the New York Times after a scandal-hit week for US President Joe Biden as the secret dossiers circulated online.
Jack Teixeira, the leader of the Thug Shaker Central chat group on Discord, was named by the New York Time s as one of the men who could be behind one of the biggest national security breaches in the last decade
The 21-year-old is expected to appear in a Massachusetts court in connection with the leaking of classified information
US network CNN carried these images of Teixeira’s arrest after he was named by the New York Times earlier on Thursday
The inside of Teixeira’s childhood home in Bristol, Massachusetts, matched photos of the sensitive files on US intelligence and the Ukraine war which have been shared on forums since the end of last year, according to the Times.
The FBI will now question Teixeira, whose mother Dawn confirmed to the Times that he is an active member working out of a base in Cape Cod and has been taking more night shifts.
A spokesman for the US Justice Department declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.
But a National Guard spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the investigation into the alleged role a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman may have played in the recent leak of highly-classified documents.’
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The revelation comes after President Joe Biden said during the third day of his Ireland trip that investigators were ‘getting closer’ to finding out the source.
Police set up a roadblock outside Jack Teixeira’s house in North Dighton, Massachusetts, after his identity was revealed by the New York Times
The inside of Teixeira’s childhood home in Bristol, Massachusetts, matched photos of the sensitive files on US intelligence and the Ukraine war which have been shared on forums since the end of last year, according to the Times
Biden also said he wasn’t ‘concerned’ about the sharing of the documents that threatened to risk American assets around the world because the information is not ‘contemporaneous’
The intelligence included in the files have included information suggesting Ukraine will soon run out of artillery and potentially risking U.S. intelligence sources around the world.
Dozens of teenagers and young adults are said to make up the group where those files were posted and have been described as ‘like-minded’ individuals.
Two members of the chat room described the suspect to the The Washington Post on Wednesday night.
‘He’s fit. He’s strong. He’s armed. He’s trained. Just about everything you can expect out of some sort of crazy movie,’ one of the members said.
He described him as ‘a young, charismatic man who loves nature, God, shooting guns and racing cars.’
Amid an intense search for the source of the leaks, The Washington Post reported they had seen video and photos of the man, as well as recordings of his interactions with members of the group.
In a video seen by The Post, the man is seen at a shooting range with a large rifle, wearing safety glasses and ear coverings. The man looks into the camera and yells racial and antisemitic insults, then fires multiple rounds at a target.
The New York Times reported that they were able to link Texiera to other members of the online group through his gaming profiles.
One of the leaked documents, which have been posted online – sparking a FBI hunt for the leaker, and a Pentagon investigation
This document appears to show the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and in May, when it is anticipated they’ll be badly depleted
