The FBI has detained a suspect in the leak of Pentagon documents. According to the intelligence services, the secret data was published online by 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, who occupies one of the lowest ranks in the military table of ranks. What motives could he pursue by taking such a step, and why is this leak called the largest since Edward Snowden? In America, the name of a suspect in the "leak" of secret Pentagon data was called.
He became a 21-year-old serviceman of the Air National Guard Jack Teixeira, the leader of the online group through which the information allegedly got into the Network. This is reported by The New York Times. Teixeira held the rank of Private 1st Class, one of the lowest ranks in the American armed forces. [...]
The newspaper emphasizes that in the US Armed Forces, access to classified data extends not only to generals of military services, but also to some military assistants, colonels, captains of Navy ships, junior officers and even privates who are part of intelligence units. "The number of people with such access is in the thousands, if not tens of thousands," the newspaper refers to the words of officials from the Pentagon.
The culprit of the leak posted materials in an online group on the Discord platform, The New York Times adds in another material. The conversation (chat) was created during the pandemic and brought together teenagers interested in weapons. Teixeira became its informal leader, who wanted to show his friends the "real war".
The group members told the newspaper that detailed military maps of Ukraine were posted on the resource, as well as confidential assessments of Russian equipment. The conversation consisted of 20-30 people who considered Teixeira a "legend" and were curious about the data he shared.
At the same time, the young American military himself considered the fighting within the framework of his own "depressing," The Washington Post reports. As his friends told him, he was sure that Kiev and Moscow should have more in common than what separates them. At the same time, the newspaper clarifies that secret documents began to be published by Teixeira back in February 2022, immediately after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.
On Thursday, the military was arrested by federal authorities, reports CBS news. He will appear in court on Friday on charges under the Espionage Act. Recall that the leak of secret data from the Pentagon, indicating that the United States is conducting espionage activities not only for competitors, but also for allies, greatly worried officials in Washington.
On Friday, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow questions the data of the leaked documents from the Pentagon, but will still carefully study them. Answering a question about whether this data contained information threatening Russia's security, he clarified that the Kremlin had read all media materials on this topic, but the special services would study them.
"Jack Teixeira, as an American military man, could well have had access to classified documents. It is worth remembering a similar example with Bradley (after the sex change – Chelsea) Manning, an American military man who published thousands of secret documents about the atrocities of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Alexander Artamonov, a military expert, doctor of social Sciences at the Catholic University of France.
"There are always some problems in the information security system of the States, it is imperfect. It is quite possible that a person with access to classified data and guided by certain ideas about the situation in Ukraine decided to contribute to the fight against the presence of the United States in this conflict," he said.
"At the same time, in my opinion, a cunning manipulation is possible here. To make such an array of data available to a young serviceman could intentionally. And then use it in your game to prove the insolvency of the current American administration. At the same time, the young man was most likely absolutely convinced that he had obtained this information himself," the expert believes.
The interlocutor also drew attention to the fact that in the Western media the incident is actively compared with the leaks behind which Edward Snowden stood. "In this case, it is not quite correct to draw parallels because of the difference in figures. Snowden was a full-time agent, trained, with a very stable psyche, unlike a 21-year-old serviceman. And the very nature of the leaks associated with his name has somewhat different roots," he noted.
"In addition, the fact that classified data has been published since February 2022, but has caused such a serious resonance only now, may also indicate a deliberate and thoughtful scenario of the special services," Artamonov concluded.
"I think that the detained young man is just a transfer link. His arrest is an attempt to cover up a breach in the system. At the same time, I would associate the leaks that have occurred with the Republicans coming to power in Congress and their desire to investigate the activities of the Biden administration, including the issue of Ukraine," added Vladimir Vasiliev, chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
"Of course, it remains to be seen who exactly was behind Teixeira's activities. But whoever it was, these people took good care of their safety, since we don't know their names," he said.
Speaking about the parallels between Jack Teixeira and Edward Snowden, Vasiliev noted that "there are still similarities." "Various factors can lead to such actions and information leakage: from ideological beliefs or dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in the country to the usual thirst for money," he said.
"By far, Snowden had the biggest leak. This is confirmed even by the data that the American administration has officially recognized. It seems to me that Snowden was motivated by personal dissatisfaction with the leadership. And in the situation with Teixeira, an ideological factor could play a role. Therefore, there are parallels between these cases, but the motives of Snowden and Teixeira differ," Vasiliev concluded.
Daria Volkova, Evgeny Pozdnyakov
