Federal prosecutors are urging a judge to deny bail for Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, who is involved in a Pentagon leaks case, contending that he could inflict "extraordinary" harm by disclosing more classified documents.
In legal documents submitted on Wednesday, Justice Department attorneys argued that releasing the 21-year-old suspect pending trial would constitute a significant risk to U.S. national security. Investigators are still attempting to ascertain whether Teixeira retained copies of classified files, including those not publicly made.
Prosecutors stated, There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the Defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession. They added, The damage the Defendant has already caused to the U.S. national security is immense. The damage the Defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary.
Prosecutors asserted that Teixeira may still possess materials that could benefit foreign adversaries.
Teixeira has "accessed and may still have access to a trove of classified information that would be of tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States," according to the prosecutors.
A detention hearing for Teixeira is scheduled for Thursday in a federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prosecutors revealed that the defendant's lawyers have suggested they request the judge release him to his father's residence.
Teixeira's defense team has not yet filed a motion seeking his release before trial.
Teixeira, a cyber transport systems specialist with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested earlier this month and charged under the Espionage Act for unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. Since his arrest on April 13, he has been in custody and has not entered a plea.
The 21-year-old is suspected of disseminating hundreds of highly classified Pentagon documents related to national security and the war in Ukraine via the gaming platform Discord over several months or potentially longer.
Last week, The New York Times reported that a Discord user with a profile resembling Teixeira's allegedly began posting copies of documents in a chat room as early as February 2022.
In their argument for Teixeira's continued detention, prosecutors highlighted the guardsman's potential danger to the public due to his possession of multiple firearms and his engagement in "detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder" on Discord.
In February, Teixeira reportedly told another individual that he was tempted to transform a minivan into an "assassination van," as stated by the prosecutors.
The court filing also disclosed that Teixeira was suspended from high school after a classmate overheard him discussing Molotov cocktails and other weaponry.
Former classmates have described Teixeira as a military-obsessed teenager who made them uneasy by wearing camouflage to school, carrying textbooks about weapons, and making racially charged comments.
Prosecutors alleged in their filing that Teixeira attempted to destroy evidence when news outlets began reporting on the Pentagon leaks earlier this month. Authorities searching a dumpster at his residence discovered a smashed laptop, tablet, and Xbox gaming console.
Investigators have not revealed a possible motive for the leaks. Members of the Discord group have characterized Teixeira as someone seeking to impress his online friends rather than a politically motivated whistleblower.
The leaks have stunned the military community and sparked international outrage, raising questions about the U.S.'s.. ability to safeguard its classified information.
The Pentagon has announced plans for an internal review of access to sensitive intelligence to prevent similar breaches in the future.
Login