FBI agents arrested Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Douglas Teixeira at a home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, on Thursday in connection with a trove of classified documents that have been leaked online in recent months.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Teixeira, 21, is being investigated for the “alleged unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defense information.”
Teixeira, who joined the Air National Guard in September 2019, held the highest-level security clearance granted by the federal government for top secret information, according to an internal Department of Defense email reviewed by Fox News.
His security clearance and access to classified government systems have since been revoked, according to another internal government document.
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman seen here in a photo posted on social media, was arrested Thursday in connection with an investigation into the leak of classified documents. (Facebook)
Teixeira was most recently stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base as a member of the of 102nd Intelligence Wing. He was promoted to Airman 1st Class last July, according to the unit.
The FBI began surveilling Teixeira in connection with the leaks before Thursday, but were forced to accelerate their plans to arrest him after the New York Times identified him on Thursday morning, a source briefed on the investigation told Fox News.
That New York Times report named Teixeira as the leader of a Discord group called “Thug Shaker Central” that consisted of roughly 20 to 30 young men.
Teixeira allegedly starting sharing classified documents with the private group in recent months, but the leaks gained wider attention after another member shared them in a public forum, according to the report.
Investigators don't believe that the case ends with Teixeira and are looking at others who may be involved, a source told Fox News.
