In trying to identify who was behind a major breach of classified U.S. documents, federal agents and non-governmental investigators had access to online clues that led to a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman with an interest in gaming, guns, and religion
In a social media world that produces traceable digital fingerprints, it didn't take long for federal authorities and open-source investigators adept at sifting through data to land on the name of Jack Teixeira.in connection with the far-reaching leak of classified documents that have shaken capitals from Washington to Kyiv to Seoul with revelations of U.S. spying on allies and foes alike and the disclosure of sensitive military intelligence about the war in Ukraine.
When asked how such a young service member could have had access to highly sensitive documents, the Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, said it was the nature of the military to trust its very young service members with high and sometimes grave levels of responsibility, including high levels of security clearance.
In previous Associated Press stories, the leaker was identified as “the O.G.” by a member of an online chat group where Teixeira and others posted for years. The member of the chat group declined to give his name to the AP, citing concerns for his personal safety. A different participant in the group shared some of the files several weeks ago in a different chat group — and from there they appear to have spread across the Internet.
Teixeira was an airman first class detailed to an Air Force intelligence, according to Facebook posts from the 102nd Intelligence Wing based at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts.
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