Washington, April 14: US authorities on Thursday arrested a suspect in the case of leaked classified documents, according to US media, which has honed in on a young National Guard member as the possible source of the security breach.
The Federal Bureau of Invesgigation (FBI) made a “probable cause” arrest of a man identified by authorities as a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, ABC News reported.
CNN aired footage from North Dighton, Massachusetts showing the detainee in shorts with his hands behind his back and being placed by agents into an unmarked vehicle. Attorney General Merrick Garland was set to formally announce the arrest on Thursday afternoon.
“There is a full-blown investigation going on, as you know, with the Intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they are getting close,” US President Joe Biden said.
The President’s remarks came after The Washington Post reported that hundreds of pages of documents had been postedin a group called Thug Shaker Central on social media platform Discord by a man who worked on a US military base.
The New York Times said it had identified a “trail of digital evidence” leading to a young air national guardsman as both the leader of the group and the leaker, although they made it clear he has not been officially identified as a suspect. The newspaper identified him as Jack Teixeira, a 21-year old member of the Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The Wall Street Journal also pointed the finger at an air national guardsman, and said an arrest could take place as early as Thursday.
The reports said the alleged leaker, who went by the nickname “OG” regularly posted documents in the group for months.
The group of around 24, including people from Russia and Ukraine, bonded over their “mutual love of guns, military gear and God” and formed an “invitation-only” clubhouse in 2020 on Discord” the Washington Post said. The Post, however, cited unidentified members of the Thug Shaker Central organization.
The Defense department did not confirm his identity but said in a statement that “We are aware of the invesgitation into the alleged role of a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman may have played in the recent leak of highly classified documents.” EOM
