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.