21-year-old junior staff leaks out secret US documents, shocking authorities
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New York: The US authorities are concerned about its intelligence failure after a junior airman leaked out classified documents from the headquarters of US Department of Defence, Pentagon, reports say.
The Biden Administration is left with no choice but downplay the seriousness of the biggest US intelligence leak in a decade.
The FBI on Thursday arrested Jack Teixeira of Dighton, Massachusetts for ‘unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information’, according to Bloomberg.
Washington Post reportedly said on Thursday night that ‘a military buff’ started sharing documents with online friends to ward off ‘isolation during the coronavirus pandemic’.
The 21-year-old man’s work at the Pentagon is reportedly described as a ‘cyber transport systems journeyman’.
The job required him to hold a high-school degree, a driver's license and on-the-job-training for up to 18-months.
Teixeira, who joined the Air National Guard in 2019, is a junior employee tasked with keeping ‘communication system up and running’ alongside playing an ‘integral role in our continuing success’, an official was quoted as saying.
Though widely believed to be strongest in guarding secrets, the biggest intelligence breach fly in the face of US authorities.
Many ask if a low level employee can access classified documents and leak them out, who doesn’t.
President Joe Biden reportedly downplayed the seriousness of the leak. However, experts and former officials believe it was a ‘massive exposure’.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday ordered a review of the Pentagon's ‘intelligence access, accountability and control procedures’.
He reportedly wanted to ensure a leak at this scale never happens again.