DIGHTON - Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, has been identified as the suspect who allegedly
leaked classified U.S. intelligence documents online, according to
CBS News. He was taken into custody by federal agents Thursday afternoon, sources told the WBZ-TV I-Team.
Teixeira is an Airman 1st Class in the Guard's 102nd Intelligence Wing, according to the organization's Facebook
page.
Heavily armed law enforcement could be seen at a Dighton address associated with Teixeira Thursday afternoon. A person who came out of the home put their hands behind their head, backed up slowly, and was taken into custody outside the home.
Law enforcement in Dighton CBS Boston
He was first identified Thursday by the
New York Times as the "leader of a small online gaming chat group" named "Thug Shaker Central," that's allegedly responsible for leaking the documents.
According to Associated Press sources, the FBI wants to question him in the leak of the highly classified military documents on the war in Ukraine.
The Biden administration has been working to assess the diplomatic and national security consequences of the leaked documents since they first surfaced online last week. A top Pentagon spokesman told reporters earlier this week that the disclosures present a "very serious risk to national security," and the Justice Department opened an investigation to identify the person responsible.
The
documents reviewed by CBS News contained details about the war in Ukraine, including an analysis of Ukraine's air defenses, as well as information about South Korea. Officials said some of the documents appeared to be doctored, but acknowledged some of the slides appeared to contain secret information.
The Times reported that Teixeira, 21, "oversaw a private online group named Thug Shaker Central, where about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teenagers, came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and video games."
There has been no official comment yet from the White House, the FBI, or Teixeira.
"We would refer you to the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for details," the Massachusetts Air National Guard said in a statement to WBZ-TV.