US military leak suspect to appear in court; had arsenal, prosecutors say
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Jack Teixeira began to access hundreds of classified documents that had no bearing on his job in February 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – A United States Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets and keeping an arsenal of weapons in his bedroom will appear in federal court on Thursday.
Federal prosecutors are expected to argue he should remain in custody because he poses a national security risk.
In court documents filed on Wednesday, the prosecutors had also said that Jack Teixeira may still have access to classified materials.
Teixeira also “took steps to obstruct the government’s investigation” into the leaks, prosecutors said, in a motion filed ahead of a hearing into his detention.
“His release would heighten the risk that he would make further unauthorised disclosures of classified national defence information,” prosecutors said in the documents.
The motion said that in February 2022 Teixeira began to access hundreds of classified documents
“There is no condition of release that can be set that will reasonably assure his future appearance at court proceedings or the safety of the community,” prosecutors said.
Teixeira was arrested by the FBI on April 13
He is scheduled to appear in US District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon for his detention hearing.
Prosecutors say the 21-year-old leaked classified documents, including some relating to troop movements in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord.
Teixeira, who lived with his mother and stepfather, kept a gun locker 60cm from his bed, which contained handguns, bolt-action rifles and a military-style rifle with a high-capacity magazine.
FBI agents also found a gas mask, ammunition and what appeared to be a “silencer-style accessory in his desk drawer”, according to a motion arguing that Teixeira should remain in custody before his trial.
“The defendant undoubtedly poses a danger to the US at large based on his ability to cause exceptionally grave danger to the US national security,” according to a motion filed by the office of US Attorney Rachael Rollins.
“However, there is also evidence to suggest that the defendant may also pose a physical danger to the community.”
In 2018, while in high school, Teixeira was suspended after he was overheard making racial threats and remarks about guns.
He attributed those remarks to a reference in a video game, according to prosecutors.
More recently, in November 2022, Teixeira said if he had his way, he would “kill a tonne of people” because it would be “culling the weak-minded”, prosecutors alleged in documents supporting their motion to detain him.
His lawyers on Thursday sought to downplay the high school incident, saying it was “thoroughly investigated” and that he was allowed to return to school after a psychiatric evaluation.
“The investigation was fully known and vetted by the Air National Guard prior to enlisting and also when he obtained his top-secret security clearance,” they added. REUTERS
