A suspect has been arrested in the United States in the investigation into the leak of confidential American documents, announced the American Minister of Justice Merrick Garland, confirming the information released earlier in the media including CNN and the « New York Times » this Thursday, April 13. Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden said the investigation was progressing as details began to emerge in the press about the profile of the suspect, believed to be a young member of the Air National Guard.
The leak of these documents, which among other things detail Washington’s views on the war in Ukraine, has raised concerns in the Pentagon about a “very high risk” for the national security of the country.
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The arrest took place in Dighton, a small rural town south of Boston, Massachusetts. American televisions, including CNN, broadcast on a loop, shortly before the conference of the Minister of Justice, aerial images showing the arrest of an individual by agents of the security forces. We could see a man, hands on his head and wearing a gray t-shirt and red shorts, slowly backing up towards soldiers before being arrested, then escorted to a civilian-looking vehicle.
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“There is a full investigation going on, as you know, between the intelligence services and the Department of Justice, and they are closing in” of the outcome, Joe Biden said during a visit to Ireland.
A 21-year-old “mole”?
The US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation after the documents leaked online, which appear to indicate information gathering on close US allies. “I am concerned that this has happened”said Joe Biden, without sounding the alarm.
Anticipating any announcement from the American authorities, the « Washington Post » reported on Wednesday that the leak was the work of a young man who worked on a military base, who shared his information on a private online group on the social network Discord.
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The « New York Times », for his part, put forward the name of Jack Teixeira, 21, a member of the intelligence department of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. According to the daily, a certain amount of evidence points to him as the leader of the group and responsible for the leaks. This is the suspect arrested on Thursday, according to the daily.
According to the « Wall Street Journal »which also indicates that the perpetrator is a member of the Air National Guard, an arrest could take place as early as Thursday.
A critic of the state
Under the pseudonym “OG”, the suspect would have published for months documents from the military base where he works. “OG” had asked the other members of the group not to distribute the documents, assuring that he had no intention of being a whistleblower, indicates the “Washington Post” quoting one of its sources.
He was critical of the state – of which he denounced ” power abuse “ – law enforcement and intelligence community.
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The group, made up of around twenty people, was formed in 2020 around their mutual passion for firearms, military equipment and religion.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States was reviewing the « implications » of this leak “for national security”.
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The Pentagon has also decided to further restrict access to this type of sensitive information, Karine Jean-Pierre told the press on the sidelines of Joe Biden’s trip to Ireland.
The spokeswoman added that the US government wants social media “avoid facilitating” the distribution of such confidential documents, considering that they had “a responsibility towards their users and the country”.
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A spokesperson for Discord told AFP that the safety of its users was the platform’s priority and that any content violating its rules could lead to the exclusion of the offender, the closure of discussion groups, and a report to the authorities. The company also said it is cooperating with law enforcement regarding the leaks.
American concerns
The documents posted online reveal in particular the concerns of the American intelligence services as to the viability of a Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russian forces.
A document reviewed by AFP also noted US concerns about Ukraine’s ability to continue to defend itself against Russian strikes.
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Dozens of photos of these documents have been relayed on Twitter, Telegram or Discord in recent days, some having undoubtedly circulated on the internet for weeks, if not months, before attracting the attention of the press.
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However, US authorities have not publicly confirmed the authenticity of these documents posted online, and it has not yet been independently verified.
Many of these documents are no longer available on the sites where they originally appeared, and US authorities are reportedly working to have them all removed.
