27 April 2023 , 13:23
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Prosecutors in the US say airman Jack Teixeira may have access to more classified files that could cause "extraordinary" damage.
Mr Teixera, 21, is charged under the Espionage Act in connection with the leaking of sensitive information contained in documents from the Pentagon.
In a court filing asking for Mr Teixeira's continued detention, prosecutors argued he is a "serious flight risk" and that the "the damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary."
Prosecutors added that the 21-year-old is an "ongoing risk both to the national security of the United States and to the community".
The filing said: "There simply is no condition or combination of conditions that can ensure the defendant will not further disclose additional information still in his knowledge or possession," prosecutors wrote.
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Prosecutors say Mr Teixeira remains a grave threat to national security (AP)"The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense."
Mr Teixierea, from North Dighton, Massachusetts, worked as a systems administrator in the 102nd Intelligence Wing in the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
He is charged with leaking highly classified documents in a chat room on the social media site Discord.
Jack Teixeira was arrested earlier this month (WBZ)Prosecutors say Mr Teixeira repeatedly had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder” on Discord.
In describing Teixeira as a danger to the community, prosecutors wrote that the suspect, who owned multiple guns, repeatedly had “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder” on the platform where authorities say he shared the documents. In February, he told another person that he was tempted to make a minivan into an “assassination van," prosecutors wrote.
His attorneys have indicated they will urge the judge to release him to his father's home. Mr Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the highest-profile intelligence leak in years.
The leaked documents appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine and U.S. intelligence assessments regarding US allies that could strain ties with those nations.
Some show real-time details from February and March of Ukraine’s and Russia’s battlefield positions and precise numbers of battlefield gear lost and newly flowing into Ukraine from its allies.
Last week, the US Air Force suspended the commander and administrative commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron pending further investigation.
Each leader's access to classified systems was also removed.
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The leaked documents raised questions among the country's allies about its ability to maintain secrets.