The suspect was relatively easy to find.
In a world of social networking that produces traceable fingerprints, it didn’t take long for federal authorities and open source researchers—experts at sifting through data—to come up with Jack Teixeira’s name.
Teixeira, 21, who served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in connection with the controversial leak of confidential documents, which has rocked capitals from Washington to Kiev to Seoul with revelations of US spying on allies and enemies. equally and the release of sensitive military intelligence about the war in Ukraine.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira would be charged with unauthorized removal of classified national defense information.
There were clues in messages posted in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform where Teixeira is believed to have posted for years about weapons, games and his favorite memes and, according to others who chatted with him, secrets. United States government very well guarded.
The investigative website Bellingcat and The New York Times were the first to publicly identify Teixeira, minutes before federal officials confirmed he was a subject of interest in the investigation. They reported the tracking of profiles on other darker sites linked to Teixeira.
Apparently the suspect, as part of his duties, had access to highly confidential information.
The case highlights the difficulties the United States and other countries’ governments have in keeping secrets in an age of ubiquitous data and a growing crowd of expert users who know how to exploit it.
Asked how such a young military man could have had access to such sensitive documents, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder replied that the nature of the armed forces is to entrust very young members with levels of responsibility. high and sometimes severe, including high levels of security clearance.
Soldiers fresh out of high school went fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones for a generation, often using highly sensitive intelligence and programs to attack adversaries.
“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very young age. Think about a young platoon sergeant, and the responsibility and trust we place in those people to lead soldiers into combat,” Ryder said.
In previous Associated Press articles, the leaker was identified as “the OG” by a member of an online chat group that Teixeira and others have posted to for years. The member of the chat group declined to give his name to the AP, citing concern for his personal safety.
The chat group, dubbed “Thug Shaker Central,” featured just over 20 enthusiasts talking about their favorite guns and sharing memes and jokes, some of them racist. There was also an ongoing conversation in the group about wars, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The person who spoke to the AP says that “the OG” — whom he recognized on Thursday as Teixeira — was a practicing Christian who frequently talked about God and prayed with members of the chat group.
