21-year-old Jack Teixeira is accused of storing and passing on information related to national defense. A prison sentence of up to tens of years can await him.
Stateside suspected of leaking secret documents Jack Teixeira has pleaded not guilty. A 21-year-old Air Force National Guardsman is accused of publishing top-secret US Department of Defense documents online.
Six charges have been brought against Teixeira for storing and passing on information related to national defense. Each of the charges could lead to up to ten years in prison.
The accused appeared in court on Wednesday in Worchester, Massachusetts, where he pleaded not guilty to each charge.
Teixeira’s lawyer had asked that he be released pending trial, but the judge rejected the request.
Last month, a judge ordered Teixeira to remain in jail pending trial after prosecutors determined the suspect remains a threat to US national security.
The so-called Discord leak is the most serious information leak in the United States since 2013. Teixeira is suspected of sharing documents in a private message group on the Discord messaging service. Some of the documents Teixeira shared later also appeared on other sites, for example Twitter and 4Chan.
The documents highlighted, among other things, US concerns about Ukraine’s military capability when the Eastern European country was defending itself against invading Russian forces. In addition, the documents showed that the United States has apparently been spying on its allies Israel and South Korea.
Case has raised questions about how Teixeira had access to top secret information. Teixeira had been at a fairly low level in the Air Force personnel hierarchy, but he had still had a security clearance that allowed him access to highly classified information.
In May, prosecutors said Teixeira may still have access to classified documents. In addition, they estimated that hostile nations could help him escape if he were released from prison.
Prosecutors have also highlighted how Teixeira has made violent statements in the past. Among other things, he has been reported to have written on social media in November that he would like to kill a significant number of people
According to the prosecutors, the suspect also asked another user of the messaging service for advice on what type of rifle would be easy to use from the back of the SUV.
Defense lawyers according to Teixeira no longer has access to classified documents. The defense was also of the opinion that the possible threat posed by Teixeira is exaggerated.
Teixeira was arrested around mid-April. The police operation was broadcast live on several television channels in the United States.
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