the American soldier who leaked confidential documents sentenced to fifteen years in prison

The former member of the American Air National Guard who pleaded guilty to a resounding leak of secret documents was sentenced on Tuesday, November 12, to fifteen years in prison by a federal court in Boston (Massachusetts).

Jack Teixeira, 22, was arrested in April 2023 in his parents' house near Boston, after several days of research by the federal police (FBI), alerted by a series of leaks of classified documents.

These documents, shared on a discussion group on the Discord platform then distributed on other social networks, revealed the concerns of the American services about the viability, in 2023, of a Ukrainian counter-offensive. They also implied that the United States was collecting intelligence on its closest partners, notably Israel and South Korea.

“I’m sorry for anything I did wrong.”apologized Jack Teixeira, before judge Indira Talwani, who pronounced the sentence. “I understand that all responsibilities rest on my shoulders alone. And I accept the consequences”he added, according to American media present in the courtroom. “You may be young, but you probably know better than those of my generation how easily things spread on the Internet”declared the judge.

Rifles and bazooka found in man's home

The affair had embarrassed Washington and raised questions about possible security breaches, the young soldier having a secret defense clearance allowing him to access this sensitive information despite his modest rank.

This is one of the largest leaks of confidential documents since Edward Snowden's 2013 revelations about mass electronic spying by the US National Security Agency (NSA), which led to the launcher alert to leave the United States and take refuge in Russia.

Jack Teixeira joined the Air National Guard in September 2019 and reached the rank of first class enlisted in May 2022 – the third lowest in the hierarchy. At the Otis base, south of Boston, he was a specialist in IT and communications and, in February 2023, worked on cyber defense operations.

His group on Discord consisted mainly of young men who were passionate about guns and military equipment. According to prosecutors, Jack Teixeira “regularly expressed comments about violence and murder” on social networks. The prosecution also pointed out that he possessed several weapons, some “a few meters from his bed” and that the search of the homes of his mother and father had revealed “almost an arsenal”including rifles and a bazooka. His lawyers, on the contrary, portrayed a young man with intentions “naive”especially wanting to impress the members of his group.

After his arrest, Jack Teixeira initially denied the charges, but eventually pleaded guilty to six counts of “voluntary retention and transmission of information relating to national defense”avoiding a trial which could have earned him a heavier sentence. However, he is not finished with this affair, because the American army is also pursuing him before military justice and he will be tried before a court martial.