US FBI Arrests Suspect in Classified Document Leak... 21-Year-Old National Guard Soldier

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested a man in his 20s who operated the online chat service room where government classified documents were first leaked on the 13th (local time).

Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, stated in an emergency briefing that afternoon, "The Department of Justice has arrested Jack Teseira on charges related to the unauthorized removal, possession, and dissemination of national defense classified information. Teseira is affiliated with the Air National Guard." Earlier, U.S. media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that Teseira, a man in his 20s working in an intelligence-related unit within the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was identified as the operator of the private chat room where the classified documents were first leaked.

Accordingly, judicial authorities are expected to intensify investigations into Teseira regarding the purpose and circumstances of the leak, whether he acted alone, and the possibility of document tampering. Attorney General Garland said, "Teseira is scheduled to appear before the Massachusetts federal court," adding, "The investigation is ongoing, and we will share relevant information at an appropriate time."

Authorities have so far focused their investigation on the possibility that the leak was carried out by an insider with access to the classified documents. Among the leaked classified documents, about 60 pages were identified as originating from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations center or the Department of Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the documents contain sufficient detailed information to be considered credible, and some within the Department of Defense have evaluated that some documents may be authentic.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the day, the FBI arrested Teseira at his home in Dayton, Massachusetts. The released footage showed a man wearing red shorts and a green shirt being escorted by armed agents with handcuffs behind his back. Nearby residents told WSJ that police began blocking nearby streets around noon that day.

The place where the classified documents were first distributed was a private chat room consisting of 20 to 20 men in their teens and twenties interested in military equipment, among fans of the military YouTube channel Oxide in 2020. The Washington Post (WP) reported, based on interviews with members of the chat room, that a person using the chat name 'O.G' posted the classified documents, which included highly confidential content such as the whereabouts of senior political leaders and military tactics. It was also reported that after news about the classified documents surfaced, O.G was embarrassed and instructed members to delete the related information.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Major foreign media including CNN reported that authorities began limiting the number of government officials receiving daily intelligence briefings on military top-secret information following the document leak last week. Since the leaked documents were printed materials, the practice of printing classified documents has also become controversial. Investigators are reportedly examining printing records from the past few months as well.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Ireland, stated before the FBI's arrest that a full investigation is currently underway regarding the massive leak of classified documents and that they are close to identifying the leaker.

This is the first time President Biden has publicly expressed his position on the online leak of classified documents. When asked if he was concerned about the incident, he said, "I am concerned that this happened," but added, "I am not worried about the leak. To my knowledge, it does not contain contemporaneous information that would have serious consequences." This was interpreted to mean that the leaked documents do not include the latest information.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.