The FBI arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the US Air National Guard, over the leaks online of classified documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world.
Federal agents in an armoured car and military gear swooped in on Teixeira, dressed in gym shorts, a T-shirt and trainers, at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts, a mostly wooded town of 8,000 about 80 km south of Boston.
The arrest comes a week after the leaks first became widely known, setting Washington on edge about the damage they may have caused. The episode embarrassed the US by revealing its spying on allies and purported Ukrainian military vulnerabilities.
The leak of documents, posted largely on social media sites, was believed to be the most serious security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.
Teixeira was an airman 1st class at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts, according to his service record. He joined the Air National Guard in 2019 and worked as a “Cyber Transport Systems Journeyman,” or an IT specialist.
Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters Teixeira was wanted “in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defence information.”
The FBI said its agents had conducted “authorized law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts.”
Aerial news video showed Teixeira with his hands laced behind his head, walking backward toward the armoured car with one officer watching from the turret. He was handcuffed and placed in the back of the vehicle. Garland said he was taken into custody “without incident.”
