Judge delays Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira detention hearing after defense asks for more time
A federal judge on Wednesday agreed to delay a detention hearing for Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Douglas Teixeira, granting a request from the defense.
Teixeira also waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday, according to court documents.
The detention hearing previously scheduled for Wednesday was postponed for around two weeks, and Teixeira will continue to be detained.
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“The defense requires more time to address the issues presented by the government’s request for detention,” Teixeira’s attorney Brendan Kelley wrote Wednesday.
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FBI agents arrested Teixeira at a home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, Thursday in connection with a trove of classified documents that have been leaked online in recent months.
Teixeira, who joined the Air National Guard in September 2019, held the highest level security clearance granted by the federal government for top-secret information, according to an internal Department of Defense email reviewed by Fox News.
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Teixeira was most recently stationed at Otis Air National Guard Base as a member of the of 102nd Intelligence Wing. He was promoted to Airman 1st Class in July, according to the unit.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira, 21, is being investigated for the “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.”
Teixeira allegedly starting sharing classified documents with the private group in recent months, but the leaks gained wider attention after another member shared them in a public forum, according to the report.
The leaked documents mainly concern Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also include intelligence on China, the Middle East, Israel’s spy agency Mossad and world leaders.
Fox News’ Greg Norman, David Spunt, Liz Friden, Gillian Turner, Jake Gibson and Paul Best contributed to this report.