Leak Charges, TIME100, and Quitting Sugar

Leak Suspect Charged

A Massachusetts air national guardsman, allegedly responsible for the worst US intelligence leak in a decade, made his first appearance in court yesterday, facing two counts, including one under the Espionage Act. Federal prosecutors revealed 21-year-old Jack Teixeira will be charged with unauthorized transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal of classified documents or material. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on both counts.

The 21-year-old Teixeira was arrested Thursday, roughly one week after circulation of the documents on the social chat platform Discord became widely known. According to reports, the documents—which Teixeira accessed through a global Air Force intelligence sharing network—first appeared as early as last summer (see timeline), eventually migrating to larger Discord groups and other online forums. 

Among other topics, the leak contained estimates of munition levels for Ukrainian air defenses, a US assessment of a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive, and more. See top items here.

The 21-year-old Teixeira's motive for the leak remains unexplained. See our previous write-up here.

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