Jack Teixeira (21), a 21-year-old intelligence officer from the Massachusetts National Guard who was arrested on the 13th for leaking 350 classified US government documents, was indicted by the prosecution on charges of violating the Espionage Act.
According to Reuters on the 15th, Teixeira appeared at the Massachusetts District Court around 10:00 am on the 14th wearing a khaki prison uniform and received an indictment hearing. According to the prosecutor’s indictment released on the day, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) applied charges against Teixeira for violating the Espionage Act related to the unauthorized possession and transmission of defense information and the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. Both charges could each carry up to 10 years in prison. However, this indictment only applied charges to the leak of one document related to Ukraine, and the prosecution plans to increase the application of the Espionage Act as soon as the authenticity of other documents is identified.
At the hearing, which was held with the family watching from the audience, it is known that Teixeira only answered “yes” when the judge explained the defendant’s rights, including the right to remain silent. There was a moment of commotion, such as Teixeira’s father shouting, “We love you.” Teixeira is scheduled to undergo detention review on the 19th.
It is pointed out that Teixeira’s leak of classified documents was due to personal display unlike the leaks of Edward Snowden or Chelsea Manning with political purposes that made the United States and the world agitate in the past, so it is pointed out that it is a ‘new type of insider’.
The US Washington Post (WP) analyzed on the 15th that “Tessera was driven by a desire to prove herself to her online acquaintances, not by political ideology,” and analyzed that the motive was different from previous cases of revealing secrets to change US policy or practice. did. For example, some of the documents related to the war in Ukraine he leaked show the weakness of Ukraine, while others show the weakness of Russia.
The WP said, “They grew up in a digital culture and believe that ‘secrets are for losers’ and that the government hoards information excessively. did. Professor John Mills of the University of Florida said, “A (classified) leak like this is more widespread and can be random, making it more dangerous than an overtly politically motivated leak.”
US President Joe Biden said in relation to this incident on the 14th, “(Tesseira) instructed us to find out the root cause of why (classified) access was given in the first place.”
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.