The United States authorities have apprehended 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, who is suspected of leaking classified Pentagon documents. The US Department of Justice released a statement confirming Teixeira's arrest and detailing the charges he faces.
The young man faces six counts for retaining and disclosing sensitive national defense information for malicious purposes.
Attorney General Merrick Garland highlighted the severity of Teixeira's actions, stating that he knowingly shared confidential information with social media platform users.
“Teixeira is accused of sharing confidential information with users of the social media platform, despite being fully aware that it should not have been disclosed to them. In doing so, he violated the laws of the United States and threatened national security," said the attorney general.
If convicted, Teixeira could face penalties of up to 10 years of imprisonment for each count, in addition to a maximum of three years of parole. And fines of up to $250,000 may be imposed on him.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, the US Air Force, where Teixeira was employed, suspended intelligence work within the department.
Concerns have also been raised regarding Teixeira's potential involvement in sharing classified information with foreign citizens. An article published by The Washington Post in May suggested that Teixeira had been sharing classified documents with acquaintances since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. The exact number of documents disseminated by the young man remains unknown. However, Reuters estimates that he had access to over 50 classified documents, although the total number may be higher.
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