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regular-article-logo Saturday, 05 October 2024

Leak shared to larger group

The case against Airman Teixeira pertains to the leaking of classified documents on another Discord group of about 50 members

New York Times News Service New York Published 23.04.23, 08:13 AM
Representational image.

Representational image. File Photo

The Air National Guardsman accused of leaking classified documents to a small group of gamers had been posting sensitive information months earlier than previously known and to a much larger chat group, according to online postings reviewed by The New York Times.

In February 2022, soon after the invasion of Ukraine, a user profile matching that of Airman Jack Teixeira began posting secret intelligence on the Russian war effort on a previously undisclosed chat group on Discord, a social media platform popular among gamers. The chat group contained about 600 members.

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The case against Airman Teixeira, 21, who was arrested on April 13, pertains to the leaking of classified documents on another Discord group of about 50 members, called Thug Shaker Central. There, he began posting sensitive information in October 2022, members of the group told The Times. His job as an information technology specialist at an Air Force base in Massachusetts gave him top-secret clearance.

It is not clear whether authorities are aware of the classified material posted on this additional Discord chat group.

The newly discovered information posted on the larger chat group included details about Russian and Ukrainian casualties, activities of Moscow’s spy agencies and updates on aid being provided to Ukraine. The user claimed to be posting information from the NSA, the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

The additional information raises questions about why authorities did not discover the leaks sooner, particularly since hundreds more people would have been able to see the posts. The exposure of some of America’s most closely guarded secrets has prompted criticism about how the Pentagon protect classified data.

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