Jack Teixeira, suspect in Pentagon leaks, charged under Espionage Act

Jack Teixeira, the air national guardsman arrested on suspicion of leaking hundreds of secret defence documents, has been charged in a Boston court on two counts under the Espionage Act as Washington reeled from the fallout of the worst leaks of US intelligence in at least a decade.

The clean-cut 21-year-old was brought into court in a beige jumpsuit, and his handcuffs were removed by a bailiff. He sat quietly, turning only once to three family members to smile weakly.

During the brief hearing, the US prosecutor Nadine Pellegrini said the government would seek 10 years on each of the charges Teixeira faces. He was not required to enter a plea, which is likely to come at his next appearance, on Wednesday, when the presiding US judge, David Hennessy, will hear arguments over his detention ahead of a trial.

The attorney general, Merrick Garland, underlined the seriousness of the offences.

The laws he quoted included Title 18, section 793, part of what is commonly known as the Espionage Act. In his affidavit, Lueckenhoff, gave some details of the manhunt for the leaker of a string of documents that have revealed sensitive details about US, allied and Ukrainian military deployments, US penetration of Russian intelligence and military networks, and US intelligence eavesdropping on key allies.

The charges only refer to one document, about the status of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It seems likely this is a sample document, and that the prosecution will cite more of the documents in possible additional charges or in the course of a trial.

Joe Biden issued a statement commending law enforcement for the arrest, and pledging to review government security procedures.

His job was not to do the packaging but to maintain the network on which that highly classified intelligence was stored, and so needed a high-level clearance.

The leaks have led to an urgent Pentagon review of how widely it shares national security secrets on intranet systems to which Teixeira, a low-ranking cyber specialist in a Massachusetts air national guard base, had access. In the US government system, more than 1.2 million people have access to classified material labelled as top secret.

US allies have played down the significance of the leak in public but have sought reassurance from Washington in private that the problem will be addressed and that there are not more damaging leaks in circulation.

Teixeira has been hailed as a hero by some elements on the US far right, and it could become an even bigger headache for the Biden administration if the investigation and trial reveal sloppiness in the general handling of secrets.

As the young air guardsman was charged, more of the documents from the trove he is alleged to have leaked have been uploaded on to Thug Shaker Central. The Washington Post says it has about 300 documents, three times as many as were previously thought to be in circulation.

The Post reported on Friday on one document drawn from US intelligence, saying that Russian Spetsnaz special forces units have been severely depleted from casualties in the war in Ukraine where they have repeatedly been thrown into the frontline.

The heavy casualties among Russian special forces are well known, but the document and photos could reveal US intelligence methods. Other document have mentioned a little-known and highly advanced US satellite imaging technology known as Lapis, being used to observe Russian troop movements.