Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, is anticipated to enter a guilty plea regarding charges stemming from his alleged dissemination of classified military information on a social media platform, constituting a significant breach of U.S. national security, as per court documents.
Federal prosecutors have petitioned a Boston judge to arrange a hearing on Monday for Teixeira, aged 22, to modify his plea subsequent to his apprehension in April. He stands accused of divulging classified documents to a cohort of gamers on the messaging application Discord.
The leaked material comprised highly sensitive U.S. military assessments, notably on the conflict in Ukraine.
Details regarding the specific charges to which Teixeira would plead guilty were not readily accessible.
Initially, he was charged with six counts related to the intentional retention and transmission of classified information pertaining to national defense.
No comments were provided by Teixeira’s legal representatives from North Dighton, Massachusetts, despite requests for clarification.
The leak was deemed the most severe U.S. national security breach since the release of over 700,000 documents, videos, and diplomatic cables on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.
The documents disseminated via Discord contained highly classified data concerning both U.S. allies and adversaries, encompassing details from Ukraine’s air defenses to Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
In December, the U.S. Air Force took action to discipline 15 individuals in connection with the leaking of classified military information allegedly facilitated by Teixeira.
An Air Force Inspector General report delved into the incident, revealing that certain members of Teixeira’s unit and leadership were aware of up to four distinct instances of his suspicious activities.
A smaller subset of individuals possessed a comprehensive understanding of his intelligence-gathering conduct but deliberately chose not to disclose the complete extent of these security concerns and incidents, as outlined in the report.