Jack Teixeira: Pentagon leaks suspect mentioned homicide and ‘assassination van’, say prosecutors

A person accused of leaking US navy paperwork had “troubling discussions” about violence and homicide and mentioned he was tempted to make an “assassination van”, prosecutors say.

The claims have been made as they attempt to block an anticipated bid by Jack Teixeira to be launched to his father’s residence whereas he awaits trial.

The Massachusetts Air National guardsman, 21, disclosed details about the Ukraine battle and different delicate matters in a social media chat room.

He was arrested at gunpoint earlier in April when the knowledge was shared extra broadly, sparking an embarrassing scandal for defence officers.

They have been accused of lax safeguards and confronted questions over how somebody at a comparatively junior degree ought to have entry to such delicate intelligence.

Justice Department legal professionals argue Teixeira would possibly nonetheless produce other info he might doubtlessly expose and that releasing him can be a severe nationwide safety threat.

“The damage the defendant has already caused to the US national security is immense. The damage the defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary,” they wrote in court docket paperwork.

A listening to on his detention will likely be held on Thursday at a court docket in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Lawyers additionally mentioned Teixeira was a hazard to the neighborhood who owned a number of weapons and had been concerned in “detailed and troubling discussions about violence and murder” within the chat room the place he shared the paperwork.

In February, he allegedly advised somebody he was tempted to make a minivan into “assassination van”, in accordance with the paperwork submitted late on Wednesday.

They additionally mentioned he had as soon as been suspended from highschool after being heard discussing petrol bombs, weapons and racial threats.

A smashed laptop computer, Xbox and pill have been discovered within the garbage at his residence, prosecutors added, in an obvious effort to destroy proof.

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People who interacted with the guardsman on-line have painted him as somebody who wished to point out off, slightly than having any political or ideological motivation.

Authorities are nonetheless to offer their view on a motive, and he hasn’t but entered a plea.

The paperwork shared by Teixeira, who labored as a ‘cyber transport methods specialist’, included info on battlefield positions in Ukraine and exact numbers for navy gear being equipped by Western allies.