Military Space News
CYBER WARS
Pentagon leak suspect pleads not guilty
Pentagon leak suspect pleads not guilty
by AFP Staff Writers
New York (AFP) June 21, 2023

Jack Teixeira, the US airman accused of leaking top secret Pentagon documents in an online chat forum, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges that could send him to prison for decades.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard IT specialist was arrested in April for allegedly orchestrating the most damaging leak of US classified documents in a decade.

He is facing six counts of retaining and transmitting national defense information. They each carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

Teixeira appeared before Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Wednesday and entered a plea of not guilty to each of the charges, according to court documents.

His lawyer asked that Teixeira be released pending trial but the judge denied the request.

Teixeira is suspected of posting the documents -- some dated as recently as early March -- to a private chat group on the social media platform Discord.

Some of the files later appeared on other sites, including Twitter, 4Chan and Telegram.

The documents, which soon spread across the internet, pointed to US concern over Ukraine's military capacity against invading Russian forces and showed Washington had apparently spied on allies Israel and South Korea, among other sensitive details.

It was the biggest such breach since the 2013 dump of National Security Agency documents by Edward Snowden and raised tough questions about access by Teixeira, a junior staffer, to high-level secrets.

Teixeira was an airman first class, the third-lowest rank for enlisted US Air Force personnel and had possessed a top secret security clearance since 2021.

Last month a judge ordered that Teixeira remain in jail pending trial after prosecutors argued he posed an ongoing risk to American national security.

Prosecutors said that Teixeira might still have access to classified documents and that "hostile" nations could aid his escape if he was released from prison.

They also cited his history of making "violent" statements.

Teixeira wrote on social media in November that he wanted to "kill a ton of people" because it would be "culling the weak minded," the prosecution wrote in a court document.

Prosecutors also said the airman sought advice from another user about what type of rifle would be easy to operate from the back of an SUV, and that he searched mass shootings online.

Teixeira was detained on April 13 in a dramatic arrest broadcast live on TV networks.

Related Links
Cyberwar - Internet Security News - Systems and Policy Issues

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CYBER WARS
Vast cyber espionage campaign linked to China: report
Washington (AFP) June 16, 2023
Online attackers with clear links to China are behind a vast cyber espionage campaign targeting government agencies of interest to Beijing, Google subsidiary Mandiant said on Thursday. "This is the broadest cyber espionage campaign known to be conducted by a China-nexus threat actor since the mass exploitation of Microsoft Exchange in early 2021," said Mandiant chief technology officer Charles Carmakal. The cyberattackers compromised the computer defenses of hundreds of organizations, in some ca ... read more

CYBER WARS
Ukraine says downed 13 cruise missiles overnight

Aerojet Rocketdyne hot fires large solid rocket motor for next generation MRBM target

Europeans scramble on air defence after decades of complacency

Ukraine's allies to supply more air defence missiles

CYBER WARS
US Air Force awards RTX $1.15 billion for latest AMRAAM configuration

Aerojet Rocketdyne teams with Lockheed Martin to develop Long Range Maneuverable Fires Missile

North Korea fires two short-range ballistic missiles

Deadly Russian missile strikes hit Ukraine

CYBER WARS
Drones steal the spotlight at Paris Air Show

Northrop Grumman dispatches another Triton UAV to the US Navy

UK probes report of universities working with Iran on drones

Three drones downed near military base in Moscow region

CYBER WARS
Luxembourg Parliament Approves MGS, Enabling NATO's Access to SES's O3b mPOWER System

Final Ariane 5 Flight Will Carry German Communications Satellite Into Space

OneWeb and Eutelsat demonstrate global connectivity solution to NATO

Viasat selected by AFRL to deliver space relay communications for multi-orbit mission

CYBER WARS
Four dead in Russian gunpowder plant blast

Making the 'connected battlespace' a reality

MARSS passes major milestone in multi-site defence project in the middle east

PathFinder Digital receives additional orders under DLA IDIQ Contract

CYBER WARS
Turkish arms makers' export ambition on display at Paris Air Show

Blinken says China promised not to send arms to Russia

France pushes back against German-led Euro air defence plan

EU adds 3.5 billion euros to Ukraine weapons fund

CYBER WARS
New Zealand baulks at Biden's Xi 'dictator' jibe

Biden equates China's Xi with 'dictators' at donor reception

Blinken says warned Chinese leaders about Cuba

US and China eye stability but base hollow for next crisis

CYBER WARS
Single-molecule valve: a breakthrough in nanoscale control

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.