US judge delays decision on detention for Pentagon leaks suspect

A federal judge has delayed a decision on a detention hearing for the US air national guardsman suspected of leaking highly classified US intelligence documents.

Federal prosecutors urged Judge David Hennessy to keep Jack Teixeira, 21, behind bars, arguing he could still pose a grave risk to US national security and have access to secret national defense information, during a nearly 90-minute trial on Thursday in Worcester, Massachusetts.

In court papers filed late on Wednesday, justice department lawyers said releasing Teixeira while he awaits trial would present a grave threat to national security, arguing he may still have access to secret information.

Investigators are still trying to determine if Teixeira kept physical or digital copies of classified information, including files that have not yet surfaced publicly.

Teixeira has been in jail since his arrest earlier this month on charges stemming from the highest-profile intelligence leak in years. Defense lawyers asked that he be released into the custody of his father, also named Jack Teixeira.

Several individuals filled a section of the court reserved for friends and family. One individual began sobbing as Teixeira entered.

The senior Teixeira said his house was equipped with several Ring cameras that would notify him if his son were to leave the house, as well as several cameras on the property.

Teixeira has been charged under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. He has not entered a plea. After a hearing last week, his attorney declined to speak to reporters. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

Teixeira is accused of distributing highly classified documents about top national security issues in a chatroom on Discord, a social media platform that started as a hangout for gamers.

Prosecutors also disclosed that Teixeira was suspended from high school when a classmate overheard him discussing molotov cocktails, other weapons and racial threats.

Prosecutors alleged that Teixeira took steps to destroy evidence after news outlets began reporting on the documents leak. Authorities who searched a dumpster at his home found a smashed laptop, tablet and Xbox gaming console, they said.

The justice department has said its investigation is continuing, and the Pentagon has said it will conduct a review of access to sensitive intelligence to prevent a similar leak in the future.

Billing records the FBI obtained from Discord were among factors that led authorities to Teixeira, who enlisted in the air national guard in September 2019.

A Discord user told the FBI a username linked to Teixeira began posting what appeared to be classified information around December.