Washington: In a court hearing on Wednesday, Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old US Airman from the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of leaking top secret Pentagon documents in an online chat forum.
These charges could potentially lead to decades of imprisonment. Teixeira, an IT specialist, was arrested in April, with authorities alleging that he orchestrated the most significant breach of classified US documents in the past ten years.
The charges against Teixeira include six counts of retaining and transmitting national defense information, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. During the court appearance before Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, Massachusetts, Teixeira entered a plea of not guilty to each charge, according to court documents. His defense lawyer requested his release pending trial, but the judge denied the request.
Also Read: France Unleashes 'Operation Unity Shield': A NATO-Backed Truce Plan to Secure Peace in Ukraine
Teixeira is suspected of sharing the documents, some of which were as recent as early March, in a private chat group on the social media platform Discord. These files later appeared on various other websites, including Twitter, 4Chan, and Telegram.
The leaked documents revealed US concerns about Ukraine's military capabilities against potential Russian aggression and exposed alleged US surveillance on allies such as Israel and South Korea, along with other sensitive information.
This breach of classified information is considered the most significant since Edward Snowden leaked National Security Agency documents in 2013, raising concerns about Teixeira's access to highly sensitive information as a junior staff member.
Teixeira held the rank of airman first class, which is the third-lowest enlisted rank in the US Air Force, and had a top secret security clearance since 2021.
Last month, a judge ordered that Teixeira remain in jail until his trial, based on prosecutors' arguments that he posed an ongoing risk to US national security. Prosecutors expressed concerns that Teixeira might still have access to classified documents and that "hostile" nations could assist in his escape if he were to be released.
Also Read: In Romania, Andrew Tate is accused of rape and human trafficking
Additionally, they highlighted Teixeira's history of making violent statements, citing his social media post in November where he expressed a desire to "kill a ton of people" as a way of "culling the weak-minded." Prosecutors also mentioned that Teixeira sought advice from another user about operating a rifle from the back of an SUV and had searched for information about mass shootings online.
Teixeira's arrest on April 13 was carried out dramatically and broadcast live on television networks.
