The FBI is approaching more than two dozen possible suspects who were implicated in Jack Teixeira’s Discord page, where he allegedly leaked security secrets.
It comes as it was revealed that Teixeira, the US Air National Guard accused of leaking classified documents to a small group of players, had been posting sensitive information months earlier than previously known and to a much larger chat group.
In February 2022, shortly after the invasion of Ukraine, a user profile identical to that of pilot Jacques Teixeira begins publishing classified intelligence about Russia’s war effort.
Teixeira was using a previously undisclosed chat group on the social media platform Discord, the newspaper reported, adding that the group had about 600 members, according to The New York Times, citing online posts reviewed by the paper.
The FBI interviewed Teixeira’s friends from the Discord service known as “Thug Shaker Central”.
The FBI is approaching more than two dozen possible suspects who were implicated in Jack Teixeira’s Discord page, where he allegedly leaked security secrets.
They were asking how they were introduced to Teixeira, what kind of games they were playing and if they were foreign nationals.
Those who commented on Discord previously said that some of the 24 or so members were from Russia, Ukraine, mainland Europe, Asia and South America, according to Washington Post.
The FBI seized at least one former member of his electronic devices, but it is not clear if the FBI has confirmed the presence of foreign nationals on the server.
Teixeira’s hearing, 21, was scheduled to take place in Boston federal court, but the judge canceled it after Teixeira’s attorney filed a motion requesting a delay of about two weeks.
The defense said it “requires more time to address the issues raised by the government’s detention request”. No new date has been set.
On Wednesday morning, Teixeira was brought into the courtroom handcuffed and in an orange prison uniform because he had waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He said nothing other than answering yes and no to questions about whether he understood his rights and procedures.
Teixeira was charged last week under the Espionage Act with the unauthorized retention and transmission of classified information for the national defense. During his court appearance last Friday, the magistrate judge ordered him to remain in detention until the hearing.
Jacques Teixeira is believed to have leaked documents to various members of his Discord server
A courtroom sketch shows US Air Force Ranger Jacques Teixeira (pictured in orange) appearing before a judge on Wednesday, as he waived his right to a preliminary hearing for allegedly leaking classified documents.
Jacques Teixeira, who is wearing a T-shirt and shorts, is seen being detained by armed tactical agents on Thursday, April 13.
Teixeira is depicted in his military uniform. He has not yet filed an appeal over allegations that he leaked classified documents
Not yet entered into an appeal. His federal attorney general did not respond to an email last week from the Associated Press and did not speak to reporters in the courtroom.
Teixeira is accused of publishing top-secret military documents about Russia’s war in Ukraine and other national security issues in a chatroom on Discord, a social networking platform that started as a hangout for gamers. The stunning hack that exposed intelligence up close has sparked international concern and raised new questions About America’s ability to protect its secrets.
Air Force leaders said Tuesday they are investigating how a single pilot accessed and distributed hundreds of top secret documents. The Air Force also took on an intelligence mission of the Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing based in Cape Cod, where Teixeira served, pending further review.
Court records unsealed last week revealed how billing records the FBI obtained from Discord and interviews with comrades on social media led authorities to Teixeira.
Investigators believe he was the leader of a private online Discord chat group called Thug Shaker Central, which attracted nearly two dozen enthusiasts who talked about their favorite types of guns and shared memes and jokes. The group also had an ongoing discussion about the wars, which included talk of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A Discord user familiar with Teixeira’s online posts told the FBI that a username associated with Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information around December. The person provided the FBI with basic identifying information about Teixeira, including that he called himself “Jack,” claimed to be part of the Air National Guard and appeared to live in Massachusetts, according to court records.
The person also told the FBI that Teixeira switched from printing documents in his possession to taking them home and photocopying them because he was “concerned that he might be caught copying texts in the workplace.”
This differs from what the posters told the Associated Press and other media outlets — that a user they call “OG” started posting pictures of the documents because he was upset that other users weren’t taking him seriously.
The prosecution’s affidavit alleges that Teixeira was discovered on April 6 — the day the New York Times first published a story about the document breach — by searching for the word “leak” in a classified system. The FBI says this was reason to believe Teixeira was trying to find information about the investigation into who was responsible for the leaks.
The classified documents range from briefing slides outlining Ukrainian military sites to assessments of international support for Ukraine and other sensitive topics, including the circumstances under which Russian President Vladimir Putin might use nuclear weapons.
The authorities have not disclosed an alleged motive. But members of the Discord group described Teixeira as someone looking to show off, not motivated by a desire to inform the public about US military operations or influence US politics.
The Biden administration has scrambled to contain the potential diplomatic and military fallout from the leaks since they were first reported, as it moved to reassure allies and assess the scope of the damage. There was no clear answer as to how many documents were leaked. The Associated Press has seen nearly 50 documents. Some estimates put the total number in the hundreds.
