Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira to remain jailed as he awaits trial, judge rules

A federal magistrate judge ruled Friday that Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of disclosing highly confidential military records, would remain behind bars as he awaits trial.

Releasing the 21-year-old posed a risk of him fleeing the country or obstructing justice, argued U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy.

The judge noted Teixeira’s “fascination with guns,” in addition to disturbing statements he made online and claims from his military superiors about his poor handling of sensitive information prior to the incident.

Teixeira had apparently been caught by military colleagues months before his arrest taking notes on classified information and viewing intelligence material that was unrelated to his job.

Prosecutors also claimed that Teixeira had a history of violent rhetoric, citing old posts on social media where he said he wished to kill “a ton of people,” and that it would be a way of “culling the weak-minded.”

Teixeira is facing charges for distributing confidential military files on Discord, a popular social media site for online video gamers.

The files publicly revealed valuable, unfiltered evaluations of Russia’s war in Ukraine, other countries’ geopolitical objectives and resources, and other matters related to U.S. national security.

Judge Hennessy said the action signified “a profound breach of the defendant’s word that he would protect information related to the security of the United States.”

Teixeira can appeal the decision, but the judge argued that he could become extremely valuable if he were to fall into the wrong hands.

“Foreign countries know that this defendant was disloyal to the United States,” Hennessy said. “It doesn’t seem implausible at all that a foreign government would make an overture to this defendant to get information.”

With News Wire Services