The US Air Force has suspended two leaders of the unit where alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira served, according to US media reports. The Department of Defense is investigating the extent of Teixeira’s alleged unauthorized disclosure of classified intelligence assessments.
The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and the detachment commander overseeing administrative support have been temporarily relieved of their duties and currently have no access to classified materials, CBS news said on Wednesday, citing military officials. Teixeira, 21, worked as an IT specialist at the Otis Air National Guard Base.
The commanders were suspended pending further investigation by the Air Force Inspector General, the report said. More people in the unit could face suspensions and potential removal as the probe progresses, it added. Officials from the Inspector General’s office arrived at the Massachusetts base on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have asked the US District Court in Massachusetts to keep Teixeira in custody as he awaits trial. A memo filed ahead of his court hearing on Thursday argued that he remained a threat to national security and posed a significant flight risk if granted bail, considering that US adversaries may try to shield him from prosecution.
Parties hostile to the US “have every incentive to contact the Defendant, to seek additional information he may have physical access to or knowledge of, and to provide him with the means to help him flee the country in return for that information,” the Department of Justice stated.
Teixeira faces a lengthy prison sentence and has a net worth of approximately only $19,000, the document noted, making the case for his continued detention.
The airman is suspected of leaking dozens of classified documents over the course of several months to a closed chat group on the Discord platform. The security breach became public knowledge earlier this month after the materials made their way to other social media platforms.
While many of the images attributed to the leak focused on the Ukraine conflict, others were related to other nations, such as Israel and South Korea. The documents also indicated that Washington was spying on its closest allies.
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