(Worcester) American justice on Friday kept in pre-trial detention the young soldier charged a month ago for having disseminated a series of secret documents, in particular on the war in Ukraine, leaks which embarrassed Washington.
Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Air National Guard recruit, appeared in court in Worcester, Massachusetts, where his lawyers unsuccessfully sought his release pending trial. .
The suspect in this massive leak of secret documents arrived in court handcuffed, his head shaved and dressed in an orange jumpsuit.
During the hearing attended by his father, Judge David Hennessy considered that the “evidence pleads in favor of the provisional detention” of the suspect, highlighting his potential dangerousness.
According to the judge, Mr. Teixeira “did not care about anyone but himself” and “foreign countries know that he has been disloyal to his country”, which presents a risk for the United States.
Possible flaws
The images of his arrest by the federal police (FBI), on April 13 outside his family home in Dighton, south of Boston, had gone around the world, a few days after the revelations of these leaks in the press American.
Based on a base on Cape Cod, near Boston, where he held a role as a computer and communication specialist, he is accused of having published classified information on a discussion group of the social network Discord, which circulated by the continued on other social networks.
The secret documents revealed US intelligence concerns about the viability of a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces. They also suggest that Washington collect intelligence on its closest allies, including Israel and South Korea.
The case embarrassed Washington and raised questions about possible security breaches, while the young soldier had a “secret defense” clearance, allowing him access to this sensitive information, despite his low rank.
Reports
According to documents filed in court proceedings by prosecutors representing the state, the US Air Force had repeatedly reported Jack Teixeira’s suspicious behavior. In September and October 2022, he was caught taking “notes on classified information”, or, in January 2023, consulting content related to “the intelligence sector”, unrelated to his “main occupation”.
To obtain his continued detention, prosecutors also argued that he was dangerous, suggesting that the young man could still have access to secret documents and that “hostile states could offer him refuge and try to facilitate his escape”, a hypothesis falling under “speculation” according to the military’s lawyers.
Prosecutors pointed out that Jack Teixeira had made threats on social networks and that he kept numerous weapons at the homes of his separated parents.
He was charged with “unauthorized storage and transmission of information relating to national defense”, and “unauthorized removal and storage of classified documents or materials”. At this point, he faces 25 years in prison.