Top secret documents on Discord: Pentagon leaker faces 15 years in prison
To impress his contacts on Discord, a young man disseminated top-secret US military documents there. He was sent to prison for a long time.
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A year and a half after leaking confidential and secret US documents via Discord, the "Pentagon leaker" responsible, Jack Teixeira, has now been sentenced to 15 years in prison. This was announced by the US Department of Justice. FBI chief Christopher Wray speaks of an urgent warning to all those entrusted with the protection of national security information: "Abuse that trust and you will be held accountable." The now 22-year-old military officer is responsible for one of the most serious data leaks in the history of the USA, which has caused exceptionally serious and long-lasting damage, adds the responsible prosecutor.
Criticism of the press
The leak caused a stir in spring 2023 when the young man published numerous transcripts and ultimately photos of documents relating to the war in Ukraine and troop movements via the messaging platform, which is actually particularly popular with video gamers. As a result, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken even contacted his Ukrainian counterpart and assured him that the country would continue to receive support. Teixeira was not interested in exposing shortcomings or abuses, he simply wanted to impress his Discord contacts. However, at least one of them passed them on and at some point they were discovered by the press.
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After Teixeira's arrest, the US government criticized the reporting of the documents. The publication of even parts of these documents could have serious consequences for the national security of the United States, it was said at the time. The documents also contained military intelligence findings, the disclosure of which would allow conclusions to be drawn about the sources or collection methods, which could be life-threatening for informants. Teixeira pleaded guilty in the spring and his sentence is now even higher than the one negotiated at the time. Before his arrest, he had tried to destroy evidence and also encouraged his Discord friends to do so, the US Department of Justice now writes.
(mho)
