Guardsman in leak case wished to kill a ‘ton of individuals’: US

In Teixeira’s detention listening to, Justice of the Peace Choose David Hennessy expressed skepticism of protection arguments that the federal government hasn’t alleged Teixeira meant leaked data to be extensively disseminated.

“Anyone underneath the age of 30 has no concept that once they put one thing on the web that it may find yourself anyplace on this world?” the decide requested. “Significantly?”

Teixeira entered his listening to in Worcester in orange jail garb, smiling at his father within the entrance row. His handcuffs had been eliminated earlier than he sat down and put again on when he was taken out.

The decide may order Teixeira to be confined at his father’s house or conditionally launched whereas awaiting trial, if not held in jail.

“You have got a younger man earlier than you who didn’t flee, has nowhere to flee,” mentioned Brendan Kelley, the defendant’s lawyer. “He’ll reply the costs, he can be judged by his fellow residents.”

However Nadine Pellegrini from the Massachusetts U.S. lawyer’s workplace informed the decide the data prosecutors submitted to the court docket concerning the defendant’s threatening phrases and habits “is just not hypothesis, it isn’t hyperbole, neither is it the creation of a caricature. It’s … straight primarily based upon the phrases and actions of this defendant.”

The protection asserted Teixeira not has entry to any top-secret data and had accused prosecutors of offering “little greater than hypothesis {that a} overseas adversary will seduce Mr. Teixeira and orchestrate his clandestine escape from the USA.”

The prosecution’s submitting evaluations what it says are Teixeira social media posts, stating in November that he would “kill a (expletive) ton of individuals” if he had his method, as a result of it could be “culling the weak minded.”

Courtroom papers urging a federal decide to maintain Teixeira in custody detailed a troubling historical past going again to highschool, the place he was suspended when a classmate overheard him discussing Molotov cocktails and different weapons in addition to racial threats. Extra not too long ago, prosecutors mentioned, he used his authorities pc to analysis previous mass shootings and standoffs with federal brokers.

He stays a grave risk to nationwide safety and a flight danger, prosecutors wrote. Investigators are nonetheless attempting to find out whether or not he stored any bodily or digital copies of categorised data that hasn’t surfaced but.

“There merely isn’t any situation or mixture of situations that may make sure the Defendant is not going to additional disclose extra data nonetheless in his data or possession,” prosecutors wrote. “The injury the Defendant has already prompted to the U.S. nationwide safety is immense. The injury the Defendant continues to be able to inflicting is extraordinary.”

Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest this month on expenses stemming from probably the most consequential intelligence leak in years.

Teixeira has been charged underneath the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of categorised nationwide protection data. He has not but entered a plea.

His legal professionals argued in court docket papers that applicable situations could be set for his launch even when the court docket finds him to be a flight danger — comparable to confinement at his father’s house and placement monitoring.

“The federal government’s allegations … supply no assist that Mr. Teixeira at present, or ever, meant any data purportedly to the non-public social media server to be extensively disseminated,” they wrote. “Thus, its argument that Mr. Teixeira will proceed to launch data or destroy proof if not detained rings hole.”

Prosecutors wrote that he stored his gun locker inside attain of his mattress and in it had been handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon and a gasoline masks. Ammunition and tactical pouches had been discovered on his dresser, they mentioned.

He’s accused of distributing extremely categorised paperwork about prime nationwide safety points in a chat room on Discord, a social media platform that began as a hangout for avid gamers. The leak surprised army officers, sparked a world uproar and raised recent questions on America’s means to safeguard its secrets and techniques.

The leaked paperwork seem to element U.S. and NATO support to Ukraine and U.S. intelligence assessments concerning U.S. allies that would pressure ties with these nations. Some present real-time particulars from February and March of Ukraine’s and Russia’s battlefield positions and exact numbers of battlefield gear misplaced and newly flowing into Ukraine from its allies.

Prosecutors wrote that Teixeira repeatedly had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and homicide” on the platform the place authorities say he shared the paperwork. In February, he informed one other person who he was tempted to make a minivan into an “assassination van,” prosecutors wrote.

In 2018, they allege, Teixeira was suspended after a classmate “overheard him make remarks about weapons, together with Molotov cocktails, weapons on the college, and racial threats.” His preliminary software for a firearms identification card that very same 12 months was denied attributable to police issues over these remarks.

The Justice Division mentioned it additionally discovered by way of its investigation that Teixeira used his authorities pc in July to search for mass shootings and authorities standoffs, together with the phrases “Ruby Ridge,” “Las Vegas taking pictures,” “Mandalay Bay taking pictures,” “Uvalde” and “Buffalo tops taking pictures” — an obvious reference to the 2022 racist mass taking pictures at a Buffalo grocery store.

These searches ought to have triggered the pc to generate a direct referral to safety, which may have then led to a extra in-depth overview of Teixeira’s file, in keeping with Dan Meyer, a lawyer who makes a speciality of safety clearance points. The Air Power’s investigation will most likely uncover whether or not a referral was generated — and whether or not safety officers did something with the data.

The Air Power has suspended the commander of the 102nd Intelligence Help Squadron the place Teixeira labored and an administrative commander till additional investigation.

Pentagon spokesman Air Power Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder would not focus on the specifics of Teixeira’s case. “We do wish to enable the investigation to run its course,” Ryder mentioned.

Teixeira’s legal professionals mentioned he has no prison historical past. The incident at his highschool was “completely investigated” and he was allowed to return again after a couple of days and a psychological analysis, they wrote. That investigation was “totally identified and vetted ” by the Air Nationwide Guard earlier than he enlisted and when he obtained his top-secret safety clearance, they mentioned.

Months later, after information shops started reporting on the paperwork leak, Teixeira took steps to destroy proof. Authorities who searched a dumpster at his house discovered a smashed laptop computer, pill and Xbox gaming console, they mentioned.

Authorities haven’t alleged a motive. Members of the Discord group have described Teixeira as somebody who wished to indicate off moderately than inform the general public about army operations or affect U.S. coverage.

Billing information the FBI obtained from Discord helped lead authorities to Teixeira, who enlisted within the Air Nationwide Guard in September 2019. A Discord person informed the FBI {that a} username linked to Teixeira started posting what seemed to be categorised data roughly in December.