Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira, 21,’s last words to troll-gamer friends ahead of arrest as family’s military connections revealed
PENTAGON leaker Jack Teixeira frantically called his gamer friends before being arrested by FBI agents.
The 21-year-old US Air National Guardsman was taken into custody at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts on Thursday and accused of leaking top-secret US documents.
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Before his arrest, Teixeira frantically answered a call with friends from a small online gaming community.
According to a friend who spoke to The New York Times, it sounded like he was in a speeding car.
Teixeira reportedly told them: “Guys, it was good – I love you all.
“I never wanted it to be like this. I prayed to God that this would never happen.
“And I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed. Only God can decide what happens from now on.”
Teixeira was subsequently arrested on Thursday and is due to appear in court on charges under the Espionage Act 1917.
News helicopter footage showed the suspect – in red shorts with his hands behind his back – being placed in an unmarked SUV by heavily armed agents in a wooded area.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira was arrested “without incident” and will appear in court first.
It has since emerged that he served in the same wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard as his stepfather, Master Sgt. Thomas Dufault, before retiring four years ago.
Teixeira enlisted in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and served as a member of the Intelligence Wing.
Outside of work, Teixeira reportedly oversaw an online discord group called Thug Shaker Central, where about 30 people – mostly young men and teenagers – shared a love of guns, racist memes and games
But the group took a brief, tangential turn to the war in Ukraine.
Teixeira then allegedly sent a lot of what appeared to be genuine, top-secret US government information to the group.
This was one of the first sightings of the Pentagon papers – leaked from the supposedly secure nerve center of US intelligence.
And the bizarre online revelation has since escalated into the deepest national security crisis the US has faced in years.
The leaked documents, shared on Discord, Twitter and Telegram, detailed US and NATO plans to help Ukraine prepare for a spring offensive against Russia.
They reportedly contained confidential information, including diagrams and details of arms shipments and battalion strengths.
In one of the worst intelligence breaches in US history, the leak has fueled the fire of speculation about Vladimir Putin’s health amid rumors he is battling cancer.
The documents suggested the Russian leader was undergoing chemotherapy while his inner circle could use his deteriorating health to conspire against him.
The leaked military documents showed that a British spy plane narrowly escaped being shot down by the Russians due to a missile malfunction.
According to the report, the Russian jet was flying over the Black Sea when its pilot believed he had clearance to fire.
Fortunately, the missile malfunctioned and a potentially catastrophic incident was averted.
The documents also included information about China that suggests Beijing has secretly launched a 6,500 mph hypersonic missile that could hit US defenses.
One of China’s experimental missiles, the DF-27 hypersonic glide vehicle, was launched on Feb. 25 and flew a distance of 1,300 miles for 12 minutes.
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