The Massachusetts Air National guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents kept an arsenal of guns, talked of “violence and murder” on a social media platform and an “assassination van,” prosecutors wrote ahead of today’s [Macau time] hearing for 21-year-old Jack Teixeira.
The court filings raise new questions about why Teixeira had such a high security clearance and access to some of the nation›s most classified secrets. They said he may still have material that hasn›t been released, which could be of “tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States.”
Yesterday, the Air Force announced it suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron where Teixeira worked and the administrative commander “overseeing the support for the unit mobilized under federal orders,” pending further investigation. It also temporarily removed each leader’s access to classified systems and information.
Court papers urging a federal judge to keep Teixeira in custody detailed a troubling history going back to high school, where he was suspended when a classmate overheard him discussing Molotov cocktails and other weapons as well as racial threats. More recently, prosecutors said, he used his government computer to research past mass shootings and standoffs with federal agents.
