Pentagon says suspect 'bragged about access to British intelligence'

Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old pilot accused of leaking classified intelligence online. Photo: REUTERS

The American pilot accused of the Pentagon leak boasted of having access to British intelligence and sharing classified information much earlier and with more people than previously thought.

An online profile matching that of 21-year-old Jack Teixeira has begun releasing classified intelligence. about Russia's military activities on Discord, a social networking site popular with gamers, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.

According to the New York Times, the chat group had about 600 members in February 2022, which a lot more. than 50 members of another Discord chat group at the center of the case against Mr. Teixeira.

He was arrested on April 13 for leaking classified documents about the group called Thug Shaker Central last October — on a few months later new charges.

Mr. Teixeira had security clearance because he worked as an information technology specialist at an Air Force base in Massachusetts. Investigators believe he used this to access classified documents.

'I usually work with the GCHQ people'

In one Discord post, he boasted that he had access to British intelligence.< /p>< p>“I usually work with people from GCHQ when I look at foreign countries,” he said in a chat in September 2022, referring to the British intelligence, security and cybersecurity agency.

The UK and US share widely shared intelligence through the Five Eyes Pact, including information about the types of intelligence disclosed in the leaks.

The breach has raised questions about US intelligence protection and security screening processes.< /p>

The newly discovered information, posted on a larger chat group, included details of Russian and Ukrainian casualties and the activities of Vladimir Putin's spies. Some posts predict battlefield movements.

Jack Teixeira is arrested by the FBI in Massachusetts. Photo: WCVB-TV/AP

Unlike Thug Shaker Central, the large chat room was publicly available on the YouTube channel and easily accessible.

It is not known if US authorities knew about the second group before New The York Times collated it. Teixeira's online profile using digital evidence.

A user claimed to be publishing information from the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

It appears that in one post he was writing from his military base, and in another he claimed he was going to enter an area where there is access to secret computer networks.

“Work I let me get higher privileges than most intel guys,” he wrote in another post.

When another Discord user urged the user not to abuse their intel access, he replied, “It’s too late.”p>