April 13, 2023 - Arrest made in connection with leaked US classified documents

The Air Force released service details for Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, who was arrested Thursday in connection to a leak of classified intelligence online.

Teixeira is an enlisted airman at the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who joined the service in September 2019, according to his service record. His official job is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. According to the Air Force, Cyber Transport Systems specialists are tasked with making sure the service’s "vast, global communications network" is operating correctly.

The rank of Airman 1st Class is the third enlisted rank an airman will make. According to his record, Teixeira had earned one Air Force Achievement Medal, which is a relatively standard medal for airmen of that age and rank to receive. 

Teixeira was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was arrested in connection with alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.

Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed Thursday that Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested in connection with the leaking of classified documents.

"FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident," Garland said at a news conference.

The arrest was connected to an investigation into "alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information," Garland said.

The attorney general said Teixeira will be arraigned in a federal court.

Garland declined to answer questions.

Watch Garland's remarks here: 

CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz contributed reporting to this post.

Attorney General Merrick Garland is speaking now from Washington, DC, following reports that a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested by the FBI on Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online.

The arrest of Jack Teixeira, 21, comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeira had been identified by The New York Times ahead of his arrest Thursday as the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

As a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested in connection with the leak of classified US documents, agents were seen in aerial footage directing the 21-year-old suspect to move toward an armored vehicle with his hands on his head. CNN's Josh Campbell said the apparent "overwhelming show of force" was used because of the suspect's background in the military.

Agents took extra precautions because the report disclosed him being a gun enthusiast, Campbell said.

The next steps, Campbell said, is investigating the residence of the suspect, which is now considered a crime scene.

"The feds will be there for a long time, because of course they need to determine: Are there additional classified documents that are inside that residence? [According to] what we've seen in past cases, the feds will get their search warrants lined up ahead of time in order to go in and search that top to bottom," he said.

Agents will be on the lookout for any location where a computer, a phone or digital files could be stored, Campbell said

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the leaking of a trove of classified information on social media sites was a "deliberate criminal act," and the department is looking at how it protects such information.

"We continue to review a variety of factors as it relates to safeguarding classified materials. This includes examining and updating distribution lists, assessing how and where intelligence products are shared and a variety of other steps. I would say, though, that it is it is important to understand that we do have stringent guidelines in place for safeguarding classified and sensitive information," Ryder said.

"And so, again, I think that's important to understand that we will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the people who have a need to know, when it comes to this kind of information, have access to that. We're always going to learn from every situation. But again, this is something that will continue to look at," he continued.

According to a US official familiar with the matter, law enforcement have arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, on Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents.

When asked about the 21-year-old, Ryder said he would not discuss the particular case, but said if someone requires a security clearance after joining the military, they go through "the proper vetting."

"We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age," he said.

"So you've received training, and you will receive an understanding of the rules and requirements that come along with those responsibilities," Ryder added. "And you're expected to abide by those rules, regulations and responsibility; it's called military discipline."

The FBI arrested Jack Teixeira Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online, according to a US official familiar with the matter. 

Teixeira, 21, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. His arrest comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeira was first identified by The New York Times Thursday ahead of his arrest as the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

Watch here:

The Pentagon declined to comment on reports of an impending arrest of the suspected leaker of classified intelligence documents Thursday, saying only that the Pentagon and other agencies are working “around the clock” to get a better sense of the leak. 

He said officials are working with other agencies and the intelligence community to "better understand the scope, scale, and impact of these leaks."

"Just as we're limited in what we can say about the DOJ’s ongoing investigation will be also very limited in what we can say about any of the documents themselves," Ryder said.

Law enforcement is expected to soon arrest a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online, according to a law enforcement source.  

The guardsman is 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, according to the New York Times, which reported that he is the leader of an online gaming group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

Some background: The FBI had narrowed the number of people who they believe could be responsible for the leaks and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said earlier.

While there's a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny, thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. Investigators are working on building a case for prosecution, people familiar with the matter say. 

A major leak of classified Pentagon documents has rattled US officials, members of Congress and key allies in recent days.

Now a criminal investigation is being led by the FBI’s Washington field office to find who is responsible. The FBI had narrowed the number of people who could have leaked the information and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said earlier. 

What we know about what happened: The documents appeared online last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN.

The posts are photos of crumpled documents laid on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects, such as zip-close bags and Gorilla Glue. It is as if they had been hastily folded up and shoved into a pocket before being removed from a secure location, a source familiar with these kinds of documents told CNN.

A Discord spokesperson confirmed in a statement Sunday that they are cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.

Those documents discovered on Friday all bore classified markings, some top secret — the highest level of classification.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine. Others discuss Russia's war in Ukraine.