Jack Teixeira: What we know about Pentagon leak suspect

It was a backstage online radical with posts astir video games, guns, memes - and highly classified US files.

The fishy astatine the centre of the leak that has embarrassed the US and its allies has been named arsenic Air National Guardsman Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21.

Among the young men successful a chatroom called Thug Shaker Central connected a societal media level fashionable with gamers, helium was reportedly known arsenic "OG".

Now helium faces charges nether the Espionage Act.

He joined the unit successful 2019 and was enlisted successful the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard - which is simply a reserve of the US Air Force.

Mr Teixeira was promoted past July to Airman 1st Class - a comparatively inferior presumption - and was based astatine Otis Air National Guard Base successful occidental Cape Cod.

According to his work record, his authoritative rubric is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman.

The Air Force's authoritative website notes that unit assigned to Cyber Transport Systems jobs are liable for operating the Air Force's immense planetary communications network, which links units operating some successful the US and overseas.

Defence officials person said that specified assignments could see the repair of web hubs successful the US oregon fibre-optic communications systems astatine facilities abroad, for example. Mr Teixeira's grounds does not suggest immoderate overseas deployment.

Mr Teixeira's household reportedly has a agelong past of subject service. His stepfather, Thomas Dufault, retired aft 34 years of service, according to the Washington Post. His past posting was arsenic a maestro sergeant from Mr Teixeira's unit, the 102nd Intelligence Wing.

His mother, Dawn Dufault, has antecedently worked successful non-profits focused connected veterans, arsenic good arsenic the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services, according to LinkedIn and nationalist records cited by US media outlets.

Mr Teixeira was reportedly known arsenic the undisputed person of an invitation-only Discord chatroom created successful 2020.

Thug Shaker Central included astir 20 to 30 members - mostly young men - from assorted countries.

The Washington Post reported that the radical had swapped "memes, violative jokes and idle chitchat", watched movies unneurotic and prayed.

A subordinate of the chatroom said Mr Teixeira was a young, charismatic weapon enthusiast.

Other members told the New York Times that Mr Teixeira was older than astir successful the radical and appeared keen to impressment them.

The Post reported helium had told the radical helium worked successful a installation wherever phones were banned.

He antecedently wrote up versions of the delicate accusation and shared it to the chatroom.

But helium began sharing photos of the files aft helium reportedly became progressively "angry" erstwhile different members of the chatroom did not wage attention.

On 1 occasion, the Post reported, helium sent an irritated connection to the radical successful which helium complained that they were much funny successful YouTube videos than successful his posts astir a document, which a subordinate described arsenic afloat of "annotations and explanations for worldly that we mean citizens would not understand".

"He got upset, and helium said connected aggregate occasions, if you guys aren't going to interact with them, I'm going to halt sending them," the unidentified radical subordinate told the newspaper.

Members of the online radical look to person had conflicting opinions down wherefore Mr Teixeira shared these documents.

"This feline was a Christian, anti-war, conscionable wanted to pass immoderate of his friends astir what's going on," 1 teen told The New York Times.

Another subordinate said Mr Teixeira is simply a "smart person".

"He knew what helium was doing erstwhile helium posted these documents, of course," the subordinate told the Washington Post.

Mr Teixeira's household location is located 40 miles (64km) southbound of Boston successful North Dighton, Massachusetts.

Aerial footage showed astir a twelve FBI officers surrounding the spot and arresting Mr Teixeira connected Thursday.

Mr Teixeira graduated successful 2020 from Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, reports CBS News, the BBC's US partner.