Federal investigators have identified the source of a trove of classified intelligence documents that have leaked onto the internet in recent months as a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard Intelligence Wing. The New York Times reports that the national guard has been identified as Jack Texeira and “oversaw an online group called Thug Shaker Central, where about 20-30 people, mostly young men and teenagers, came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and games. video”. Earlier in the day, an armored vehicle with a dozen uniformed officers stormed the house where Texeira is believed to be staying.
Shortly after the news broke, CNN reported that Texeira had been arrested.
It took a long time for this leak to actually break. Reports say that months ago, Texeira began sharing hundreds of pages of intelligence briefings in a small group chat on the Discord platform. Members of the group, called “Thug Shaker Central”, were reluctant to release their leader and claimed that the person who leaked the documents was not a whistleblower and that the secret documents were never intended to leave the group.
WEIRD.
The leaked documents reveal extremely sensitive material, including “maps of Ukrainian air defenses and a review of South Korea’s secret plans to deliver ammunition to Ukraine”.
Enjoy jail, kid.