The US government has filed criminal charges against Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the U.S. Air National Guard accused of leaking top-secret military intelligence records online.
Teixeira who is from North Dighton, Massachusetts, was arrested by heavily armed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents at his home on Thursday.
He made his first appearance in a federal court on Friday facing a two-count charge.
One of the charges borders on violating the Espionage Act related to the unlawful copying and transmitting of sensitive defence material. The second charge is related to the unlawful removal of defence material to an unauthorized location.
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A conviction on the Espionage Act charge carries up to 10 years in prison.
According to Reuters, experts expect more charges as investigators examine each leaked document.
At the courthouse on Friday, Nadine Pellegrini, Boston’s top federal national security prosecutor, requested that the suspect be detained pending trial, and a detention hearing was set for Wednesday.
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The judge said Teixeira’s financial affidavit showed he qualified to be represented by a federal public defender, and he appointed one.
Three of Teixeira’s family members were present at the courthouse but left without making any comments.
The leaked documents included detailed intelligence assessments of the US allies and adversaries.
The documents also included the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges Kyiv and Moscow face.
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The number of documents leaked is reportedly over 100 and is believed to be the most serious security breach in years.
Joe Biden, US president, has ordered investigators to determine why the alleged leaker had access to the sensitive information.
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