America
Army soldier accused of leaking classified documents remains in custody
A U.S. judge on Friday placed in pretrial detention a young soldier charged a month ago with leaking classified documents that embarrass Washington.
Updated
A handout image created on April 13, 2023 shows Jacques Teixeira, the suspected source of the leak of US classified documents.
AFP
21-year-old Air National Guard recruit Jack Teixeira appeared in court in Worcester, Massachusetts, where his lawyers failed to release him pending trial. The court said; Because of his perceived danger, he had to remain in pre-trial detention.
Images of his arrest by federal police (FBI) on April 13 outside his family home in Titan, south of Boston, days after the leaks appeared in the American press, went around the world.
Based in Cape Cod, near Boston, where he worked as a computer and communications specialist, he was accused of posting confidential information on the discussion board of the social network Discord, which was subsequently circulated on other social networks. .
The classified documents revealed US intelligence concerns about the possibility of a Ukrainian counterattack against Russian forces. They also suggest that Washington gather intelligence from its closest allies, including Israel and South Korea.
reports
The case embarrassed Washington and raised questions about possible security breaches, while the young soldier had a top-secret clearance that allowed him access to this sensitive information, despite his low rank.
According to documents filed in court proceedings by prosecutors representing the government, the U.S. Air Force repeatedly reported suspicious behavior to Jack Teixeira. In September and October 2022, he took “notes of detailed information,” or in January 2023, consulted “intelligence-related” material unrelated to his “main occupation.”
To keep him in custody, prosecutors argued that he was dangerous, that the young man could still have access to classified documents and that “enemy states might try to escape by harboring him,” a hypothesis that fell to “speculation.” According to military lawyers.
Prosecutors pointed out that Jack Teixeira made threats on social media and kept numerous weapons at his estranged parents’ home. He was charged with “unauthorized possession and transmission of information related to national security” and “unauthorized disposal and possession of classified documents or materials.” In this case, he has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
(AFP)
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