Two commanders belonging to the unit of Jack Teixeira (the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking intelligence documents) have been temporarily suspended by the US Air Force, a spokesman informed on Wednesday.
The Air Force spokesperson without naming the officers said the operation commander and detachment commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing had been benched, pending further investigation.
“The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, has suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron pending further investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of classified information,” the Air Force spokesperson said.
“This means that both the squadron’s state Air National Guard operational commander and current federal orders administrative commander have been suspended pending completion of the Department of the Air Force Inspector General Investigation. Also, the Department of Air Force has temporarily removed these individuals’ access to classified systems and information.”
What did Jack Teixeira do?
The suspension comes in the backdrop of one of the largest classified intelligence leaks in US history. 21-year-old Teixeira allegedly leaked the sensitive documents in a chatroom for gamers, Thug Shaker Central, on Discord, an instant messaging platform, primarily used by the gaming community. According to reports, Teixeira leaked highly sensitive information including details about troop movement in Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Teixeira said in the chat group that he was able to access the documents because he worked on a “military base”. The accused was referring to the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base where he was assigned the task to manage and troubleshoot computers and communications systems for the Air Force.
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One of the chatroom members where Teixeira leaked the files stated that he wanted others to be concerned about world affairs and thought sharing insider information would protect them from the troubled world.
While Teixeira had been leaking the classified documents for several months it was only earlier this year that the US authorities became aware of such a breach. After US media carried the reports, a manhunt was launched the nab the mole.
After much speculation, Teixeira was arrested earlier this month. He has been charged with unauthorised removal of classified national defence information and willful retention of classified documents. The authorities say he might be slapped with more charges as additional evidence is presented to a grand jury.
(With inputs from agencies)
