On the afternoon of the 13th (local time), six FBI agents stormed into a family home in North Dyton, Massachusetts. Heavily armed agents lined up around the house, and government surveillance twin-engine planes floated in the sky. Shortly thereafter, a man wearing red shorts and boots is being taken away with his hands handcuffed. This is Jack Teixeira (21), the first suspect in distributing the first-class US Department of Defense secret that turned the world upside down.
U.S. Attorney General Marrick Garland issued a brief statement on Wednesday saying that Pfc Teixeira had been arrested “without incident”. He will be charged in state federal district court with “unauthorized removal, possession and transmission of classified defense information.”
According to the New York Times (NYT), investigators obtained information that Teixeira had multiple weapons in the house where she lived with her parents, and deployed such troops at the time of her arrest. In fact, a gun was found in the house. A neighbor said he was unaware of Air Force Pfc Teixeira’s existence, but said he often heard weapons firing in the woods behind his house. After he was arrested, the FBI investigation continued.
◇Who is he?
Teixeira, known as a “gun lover,” created a chat room called “Thug Shaker Central” by recruiting people who love guns, military equipment, and God in Discord, a chat app used by game users, and secured 20 to 30 male members. . It is known that not only minors, but also foreigners from Europe, Asia, and South America, including those from warring Ukraine and Russia, account for about half. They called Teixeira ‘O.G’.
OG was an object of awe to its members. One member who had met Teixeira in person described him as an undisputed leader, older than the chat room members. The Guardian told members that he was “a young man who wants to show off to his young friends.” According to the WP, one member praised him saying, “He’s fit, strong, armed and trained,” and “everything you’d expect from any great movie.” “He’s a smart guy and he knew what he was doing when he posted these documents,” another member said, “and he didn’t accidentally leak them of any kind.”
In particular, they seem to have formed a strong bond online amid self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The chat room was recommended and only accessible to those who had been identified for several months, where, in addition to top secrets, they shared guns, video games and racist memes. Teixeira, in particular, was not only racist and anti-Semitic, but also had a dark view of the US government. He often portrayed the United States, especially law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as a sinister force oppressing ordinary citizens and keeping them in the dark.
◇How was it possible?
The suspect, Teixeira, is a private in the 102nd Intelligence Division of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He was trained as a cyber military transportation system specialist, which encompasses a number of tasks such as maintaining the operation of troop communications networks. According to the NYT, the mother confirmed that her son is in the Air National Guard and has recently been working the night shift at a base in Cape Cod, California. She also said that she had changed her son’s phone number in the past few days.
With Teixeira’s arrest, the question of how a Private, now the second lowest rank in the U.S. Army, has access to vast amounts of top-secret U.S. government information has become a matter of great concern. The British Guardian said, “The repercussions of the leak spread from Kiev, Ukraine, to Seoul, South Korea, and other global capitals, and the sheer volume of the leak shook bystanders as evidence that the US had been spying on its allies.”
In this regard, the Washington Post (WP) quoted an unnamed U.S. official familiar with the matter, saying, “Tesseira had access to a top-secret computer network inside the Department of Defense called the Joint Worldwide Information and Communications System (JWICS).” This access route would have allowed Teixeira to read and print documents classified at the same level as many of the leaked documents.” Access to JWICS requires permission to handle confidential information, but it is not yet clear what level of security clearance Teixeira has.
Earlier, Teixeira himself also told chat room members that he shares secrets at a military security facility where he spends part of the day. In a place where mobile phones and electronic devices were prohibited, in the beginning, hundreds of confidential documents were typed and copied one by one, and copies were distributed.
◇ The motive for the crime
It is currently unclear. Members defended that he was not a ‘whistleblower’ and was merely ‘information’. This is because he asked not to spread it in any space other than the chat room where he lectured on the importance of keeping up with the world situation while disseminating confidential information.
In particular, many of the secrets are related to the Russo-Ukrainian war, but the members agreed that they are not on either side. According to the WP, one member said, “He is not a Russian or Ukrainian agent.” The chat room was often referred to as “bears versus pigs,” which was intended to target both Russia and Ukraine, implying that Teixeira was not taking sides in this war, he explained.
According to FBI officials, authorities are expected to focus their efforts on the Teixeira investigation in the past few days.
The NYT said, “Unlike previous massive information leaks ranging from the Pentagon (US Department of Defense) documents, Wikirisk, and Edward Snowden exposure, (this case) does not seem to be a factor in any crime or anger at government policy.” “However, it is concerned that this incident could cause potential damage to future intelligence gathering as well as to all parties to the war in Ukraine,” he said. The lack of proper safety measures after past leaks is expected to have significant repercussions in the future.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.