DIGHTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Law enforcement swarmed a neighborhood in North Dighton Thursday, arresting a Massachusetts man in connection with the leak of top secret military documents.
Neighbors speaking with 7NEWS shared their reaction after the arrest, with one saying the activity was “a shock.”
“It’s a very small town, so something like this happening is very unusual,” another area resident said.
Jack Teixeira, 21, graduated Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School in 2020. He then joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Now, he’s set to face espionage charges.
Reportedly an avid videogamer, Teixeira is accused of distributing classified documents on the social network Discord.
Hayden Ellinwood went to high school with Teixeira and recently shared his observations of his former classmate.
“He always hung out with that group,” Ellinwood said. “[He] wanted to be in the military. They played video games and stuff.”
Tyler Ellinwood, who also went to high school with Teixeira, said he was a “small town kid.”
“[He] just wanted to live his life, dip his toes into the military and stuff like that,” Tyler said.
Dighton-Rehoboth Schools Superintendent Bill Runey said Teixeira hasn’t been affiliated with the district since his graduation almost three years ago.
He shared a statement on Thursday, saying, “We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as needed and to the extent possible.”
Tyler Ellinwood said he didn’t know Teixeira personally but knew of him.
He said Teixeira was “a good kid.”
SKY7-HD was over the scene Thursday as Teixeira was taken into custody by federal agents.
In video footage, Teixeira can be seen with his hands on his head, walking backward before agents place him in handcuffs.
Officials said the arrest took place outside Teixeira’s home after hundreds of documents appeared on Discord last month.
The highly sensitive documents included details about how the U.S. spies on friends and foes, as well as intelligence on the war in Ukraine and challenges both Kyiv and Moscow face.
“This was a deliberate criminal act,” Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesperson said.
Teixeira was a part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing with the Air National Guard on Cape Cod. Though it is not clear what security clearance or access he had, the Air Force said he worked to make sure the service’s vast, global communications network operated properly.
Speaking with 7NEWS, security expert Barry Posen said the leak was “a really colossal screw up on somebody’s part.”
Posen continued, saying the question of how Teixeira allegedly got access to documents in this case is “a complete puzzle to me.”
“I only looked at one or two photographs of documents online, but it appears that this person had access to hard copies,” Posen said. “How a person like this would have access, for example, to a hard copy of a Joint Chiefs of Staff briefing document is a complete mystery to me.”
Ryder did not comment on the investigation into this situation on Thursday but did say officials are reviewing how classified materials are protected.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is also directing a review of access to intelligence materials after this arrest.
Teixeira is expected to appear in federal court in Boston on Friday.
Back in Dighton, a portion of Maple Street in town remained blocked off Thursday night as federal agents continued their investigation.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)