US Airman, Jack Teixeira, Pleads Guilty To Pentagon Documents Leak

A United States Air National Guard member, Jack Teixeira has pleaded guilty to posting dozens of classified documents online in one of highest-profile intelligence leaks in recent years.

The 22-year-old airman committed the breach while working at an Air National Guard base when he posted documents to Discord, a platform popular with gamers.

Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information in a US federal court in Boston on Monday.

Prosecutors want Teixeira to be jailed up to up to 16 years and eight months in prison even as the materials he posted included maps, satellite images and intelligence on US allies.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

However, under the details of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to ask for a term of 200 months in prison – which Teixeira has agreed not to contest.

Teixeira will also be fined $50,000 (£39,000).

Reports said he initially began sharing classified information in late 2022 to a small community of gun and military enthusiasts on a Discord server, or chatroom.