A Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified information on the Ukraine war will remain in jail until at least Wednesday, a federal judge ruled.
Jack Teixeira appeared in court on Friday to face charges of unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.
The 21-year-old was arrested Thursday at a home outside of Boston. An affidavit filed with the court notes that Teixeira was tracked to the address where he was arrested after investigators linked the billing address to the Discord username the suspect was allegedly using.
Authorities claim Teixeira uploaded planning documents detailing U.S. and NATO military support in Ukraine to Discord, a messaging platform. The Pentagon said on Thursday that it is working around the clock to understand the scope, scale and impact of leaks.
The affidavit notes that Teixeira holds a "top secret security clearance."
Court documents contend that Teixeira may have been worried about being caught. He reportedly searched the word "leak" on his government-issued computer on April 6. The FBI says the first public reporting about the leak was around that time.
"There is reason to believe that Teixeira was searching for classified reporting regarding the U.S. Intelligence Community’s assessment of the identity of the individual who transmitted classified national defense information," the affidavit states.
Teixeira is expected to return to court Wednesday to determine whether he will remain in jail until his trial.
