• 

The FBI on Thursday arrested an employee of the US Air Force National Guard over the online leaks of classified US documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that US law enforcement arrested a military servicemember as a suspect in connection with a leak of classified defense information online.

"Today, the Justice Department arrested Jack Douglas Teixeira in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information," Garland said during a press conference.

The US Attorney General noted that Teixeira is an employee of the US Air Force National Guard, adding that FBI agents took Teixeira, 21, into custody without incident earlier this afternoon.

He noted that Teixeira will make an initial appearance in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

The FBI confirmed that its agents had made an arrest and were conducting "authorized law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts," adding that since late last week, the bureau has aggressively pursued investigative leads leading up to the suspect's arrest.

BREAKING: US intelligence leaker Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Air National Guard, is arrested at his home in Massachusetts. pic.twitter.com/vZ2y6d3Fqd

— 301 Military (@301military) April 13, 2023

Video images circulated on news channels showed heavily armed officers in Massachusetts accompanying a young man into a waiting car.

The Pentagon described the leaks as a "deliberate, criminal act."

Some of the most sensitive leaked details are purportedly related to Ukraine's military capabilities and shortcomings, as well as information about US allies, including the Israeli occupation, South Korea and Turkey.

The top secret files leaked online in recent weeks allegedly expose weaknesses in Ukrainian air defenses, Russia's military activities in Ukraine, and other details that conflict with earlier US military assessments.

Earlier on Thursday, US President Joe Biden said that investigators were closing in on the source of the online leaks in what is believed to be the most serious security breach in years.

The New York Times earlier reported that Teixeira was a National Guardsman who led Thug Shaker Central, an online group where about 20 to 30 people shared their love of guns, racist memes, and video games.

According to US media, most of the more than 60 documents that were posted online seem to have originated from the Central Intelligence Agency's Operations Center and the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The recent #Pentagon leaks could be the most damaging release of US government information since the 2013 publication of thousands of documents on #WikiLeaks. pic.twitter.com/vbABFNubRY

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 11, 2023

Read more: US spied on UN chief over Moscow approach, Guterres 'not surprised'