April 13, 2023 - Arrest made in connection with leaked US classified documents | CNN Politics (2024)

Our live coverage of the US classified documents leak has moved here.

How was a 21-year-old allegedly able to access classified documents that included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine?

John Miller, CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, discussed the background to the investigation that led to the arrest of a suspect Thursday in Massachusetts.

How could a 21-year-old with an entry-level rank in the Air National Guard allegedly have access to this kind of material?

John Miller: You have to understand how much we rely on young people with sensitive jobs in the military.

Jack Teixeira worked in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Air National Guard. Their job is very sensitive and vital. They fly the drones that conduct Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance or “ISR” missions in support of the Air Force and warfighters on the ground in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and in support of special operations teams who may be sent anywhere on classified missions. That means that units need access to a broad amount of intelligence collection and analysis because they may be operating in multiple theaters against multiple threats. Their other mission is cyber intelligence collection and that is even broader in terms of scope.

Here is a simple reality: Most enlisted people are young and they are there to do the mission and to learn and advance and almost all of them are trustworthy to an oath they take. But we still recruit from the human race. We are going to see the Edward Snowdens and the Chelsea Mannings, the Reality Winners and the soldiers and contractors who betray that oath and we see them caught and — except for Snowden who fled — we see them pay with significant prison terms.

Some have criticized the FBI because reporters seemed to solve the case faster than the bureau did.

Miller: The FBI certainly did not like being in a race with reporters. Reporters did what reporters can do. We exploit the information that is out there in open-source channels like the internet. This is a case where the trail starts there. At the same time, the FBI had a witness who agreed after talking to a lawyer to cooperate, The Washington Post found another young man who would talk to them, but not the FBI. I’ve been on both sides of these things before. No one in the FBI is happy about how this went because so much could have gone badly, but it ended safely.

FBI agents arrestJackTeixeira outside a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts, on Thursday.

Jack Teixeira, 21, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, wasarrested by the FBI on Thursday in connection with theleaking of classified documentsthat have been posted online.

John Miller, CNN’s Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst, discussed the circ*mstances surrounding the investigation and the dramatic arrest outside a residence in Massachusetts.

How did the arrest on Thursday happen?

John Miller: What you saw was a very intensive investigation that has been going on since the day the Department of Defense referred this case to the Justice Department and the FBI.

When the FBI made the call to move in today, it was not their preferred plan.

They have beenclosing in on Teixeira for a few days. The investigation is only five days old.His father’s home and his mom’s residence wereboth under surveillance todaywhile agents worked with prosecutors to ensure the evidence they had was enough for prosecutors to approve they had probable cause to make an arrest. What they wanted to do was arrest him when he went to work at the military base where he was assigned. That would have been a controlled environment.But he didn’t go to work today.

Why didn’t they want to arrest him at home?

Miller: His social media posts indicated he owned a significant number of weapons including military-style assault weapons and, of course, he has received military training in those weapons. It’s also pretty clear from stories appearing in The New York Times and The Washington Post that Jack Teixeira knew it was a matter of time before he was identified and arrested. Not knowing his mental state, going up against a trained military person in a house with weapons was not an ideal scenario. The surveillance teams were literally watching New York Times reporters showing up at the door of the house. The suspect’s name was in the Times and that was out on social media — so the FBI made the decision to move in.

What will the FBI be looking for in the house?

Miller: They are going to want any computers, phones, hard drives, thumb drives, discs, gaming systems, printers, basically anything that could store data. They are going to look for notes, writings, papers, and documents. They are going to look for other things — the hunting magazine or the nail clippers, those things that were seen on the bed where it appears the pictures of documents were taken. If the bedspread matches the one that was in the background of some of the pictures of documents, they’ll take that too.

So how was the suspect caught?

Miller: You had two fields of investigation here. One was on social media. How could you trace these documents back from Twitter to Discord to a private chatroom with a limited number of participants? That means serving Discord with orders to preserve these records so users can’t delete them. That means getting subpoenas and search warrants for the contents of that chatroom. That takes some time because you have to show probable cause. The FBI was able to convince a reluctant witness who was a member of the chat group to cooperate and that helped move this process forward

The Washington Post was able to exploit that end of the case and talk to a member of the chat group who wouldn’t name the leader who posted the documents. The New York Times published his name before he was arrested, but that’s reporting, not evidence.

The DOD, FBI and OSI, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations explored those same paths, but they also did things reporters and online gamers and sleuths couldn’t do — they pulled logs. Who looked at those documents? Who, in a classified setting, read those reports and then sent them to a classified printer that logs every document it prints with a time stamp and the computer that sent the request. The computer records the chip of the ID card and the login of the user that pulled up the document to print it. They quickly narrowed a large number of possibilities to a very small number and zeroed in on this 21-year-old airman over the last 48 hours. One of the complicating factors was, reporters did too.

The Pentagon warned service members not to access sensitive documents from unclassified websites, underscoring the seriousness of handling classified documents.

The memo, from Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, is intended as a reminder about the policies and procedures around the handling of classified documents, cautioning service members “not to discuss classified information with any person not authorized to receive such information.”

It also warns service members not to download documents with classified markings from unclassified websites, since they may be associated with foreign adversaries or contain malicious code that could pose a cyber threat to defense department information systems.

The memo was sent a day before the arrest of 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, in connection with the leaking of classified documents.

The memo does not refer to a service member, instead only referencing “recent reporting on the unauthorized disclosure of what appear to be classified DoD and Intelligence Community documents.”

The memo also warns service members not to speak to the media or to Congressional members or staff about classified documents, directing them to public affairs or to the Office of Legislative Affairs, respectively.

The 21-year-old Massachusetts man arrested by the FBI Thursday in connection with the leaking of a trove of classified US government documents had a fascination with the military, guns and war, several former high school classmates told CNN.

Jack Teixeira would sometimeswearcamouflage to school, carried a “dictionary-sized book on guns” and behaved in a way that made some students uneasy.

John Powell, who also attended middle school and high school with Teixeira, said he recalled him as a pleasant and quiet kid who was sometimes picked on. “He didn’t have many friends,” Powell said.

Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records. He attended Dighton-Rehoboth High School in Massachusetts where he graduated in 2020, according to the superintendent of the regional school district.

Powell recalled Teixeira occasionally toting around a textbook on military vehicles — tanks, planes and submarines — and having a fascination with anything “military-related” from an early age.

Other students, who asked not to be identified, said they detected a more menacing vibe from Texeira, who some recalled making comments they perceived as racist or mumbling derogatory things about people under his breath.

One student recalled him showing up for school wearing a shirt with an AR-15 on it the day after the mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.

Teixeira didn’t behave in a manner that rose to the level where “people felt the need to report him,” another former classmate said, but “he made me nervous.”

The same student said she took his fascination with the military as a form of American nationalism and was therefore surprised by the allegations against him.

Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, is expected to make his initial appearance in US District Court in Boston on Friday.

The alleged leak of classified documents by a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman points to an endemic problem in Washington’s security apparatus, said former Attorney General William Barr on Thursday.

Speaking with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Barr said the leak was “stunning, and it points to aproblem that’s endemic in ournational security structure inWashington, DC.”

Barr noted that technology is playing a role in placing too many eyes on sensitive documents. “But hopefully this will be a wake-up call,” he added.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday that 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira wastaken into custodyby federal agents and accused of “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.”

While there is currently no indication that Teixeira allegedly leaked classified documents at the behest or under the control of a foreign power, investigations into major American spy cases involving suspects with varying motivations have uncovered serious inadequacies in the government’s ability to guard itself against penetration.

In the case of convicted CIA spy Aldrich Ames,congressional investigatorsslammed the agency for its ability to deal with Ames’ suitability problems, including “drunkenness, disregard for security regulations, and sloppiness towards administrative requirements.”

After Robert Hanssen’s treachery was exposed,investigators learnedhe had full access to the FBI and State Department’s computer systems and would spend hours trawling undetected for classified information. In his 25 years with the bureau, with access to highly sensitive sources and methods about US intelligence efforts targeting the Soviet Union and Russia, Hanssen had never been subjected to a polygraph examination.

After the Ames and Hanssen cases, the CIA and FBI moved to strengthen its so-called insider threat programs aimed at safeguarding the nation’s secrets by closely scrutinizing the finances and travel of personnel with access to classified information and increasing the use of polygraphs to routinely assess employees for continued allegiance and suitability.

While intelligence agencies like the FBI and CIA have increased precautions, the Defense Department, which employs the bulk of America’s intelligence community employees, remains extremely vulnerable, and will almost certainly be taken to task by oversight investigators following the latest disclosures.

Although much is still not publicly known about Teixeira’s level of clearance and his US government background investigation, one major issue for the Defense Department pertains to how often and robustly counterintelligence officials scrutinize employees with access to information on an ongoing basis.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is directing a review of intelligence access following the arrest of an Air National Guardsman who allegedly leaked classified intelligence online.

The review will be conducted by the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Austin said. It will also examine “accountability and control procedures within the Department to inform our efforts to prevent this kind of incident from happening again.”

This review is part of the broader internal probe the Defense Department is conducting of its practices and the potential damage caused by the leak, which CNN haspreviously reportedis being led by Milancy Harris, the deputy under secretary of defense for intelligence and security.

The leaked documents posted to social media included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges Kyiv and Moscow face as the war appears stuck in a stalemate.

Austin commended the Department of Justice and FBI for their arrest of Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Guardsman assigned to the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Teixeira allegedly leaked classified intelligence onto a Discord server in recent months.

“The Department of Defense, in close partnership with the Intelligence Community and our interagency partners, will continue to review the national security implications of this unauthorized disclosure,” Austin said.

An undated photo of Jack Teixeirataken from social media.

Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard,was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursdayin connection to a leak online of classified US intelligence.

The leaked documents appeared last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN. Teixeira, 21, is believed to be the leader of a Discord chat group where the documents were posted, multiple US officials told CNN.

The documents included detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including the state of the war in Ukraine.

ThePentagon has begun to limitwho across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following the leak.

The arrest: The suspect was under surveillance for at least a couple of days prior to his arrest,according to a US government source familiar with the case. He was expected to go to work Thursday where the FBI intended to take him into custody under more controlled circ*mstances, according to the source.

When the suspect did not go to work, agents who were already positioned outside his mother’s house, waited for the suspect to come out,the source said.This search and arrest effort accelerated when reporters for The New York Times knocked on the house door and spoke to people inside.

Here’s what else we know about the suspect:

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard arrested in connection with leaking classified documents, was recently promoted to Airman 1stClass, according to aFacebook postby the 102nd Intelligence Wing.

Teixeira grew up in the suburbs of Providence, Rhode Island, according to public records. He attended Dighton-Rehoboth High School where he graduated in 2020, the superintendent of the regional school district said.

He entered theAir National Guard on Sept 26, 2019, according to the Defense Department.

His mother runs a flower business and often lauded Teixeira’s military service on her company’s Instagram account.

The suspect accused of leaking classified documents was under surveillance for at least a couple of days prior to his arrest by the FBI on Thursday,according to a US government source familiar with the case.

The 21-year-old, who is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was expected to go to work Thursday where the FBI intended to take him into custody under more controlled circ*mstances, according to the source.

When the suspect did not go to work, agents who were already positioned outside his mother’s house, waited for the suspect to come out,the source said.This search and arrest effort accelerated when reporters for The New York Times knocked on the house door and spoke to people inside.

The FBI is awaiting a search warrant for the mother’s residence as well as the father’s residence because the suspect spent time living at both locations,this source said.

Authorities expect to find numerous weapons in their search, based on photos posted on social media. The likely presence of weapons was one of the driving reasons the FBI did not want to make the arrest by raiding the house. Instead, agents waited for an opportunity to get him outside the house.

Members of the House Intelligence Committee have been in touch about hosting hearings to find out how the 21-year-old National Guard member arrested Thursday for allegedly leaking classified US government documents was able to obtain the sensitive material, Chairman Mike Turner said Thursday.

“Weneed to have hearings as to, youknow, what is the scope ofdocuments, especially when youhave something as volatile as abattlefield of Ukraine,” Turner told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Jack Teixeira, the suspect, was described by The Washington Post as a lonely young man and gun enthusiast who was part of a chatroom of about two dozen people on Discord – a social media platform popular with video gamers – where members shared a love of guns and military gear.

Turner, who said he visited Kyiv recently, added that the upcoming Ukraine offensive was highly sensitive and the information leaked shouldn’t be available to someone “trying to showit to their friends to impressthem.”

Teixeira is taken into custody.

The FBI says it is still searching for evidence at a home in North Dighton, Massachusetts, where officers arrested a 21-year-old National Guard member for his alleged involvement in leaking classified US government and military documents.

Agents are likely looking through computers, hard drives, thumb drives, cameras and phones —anything that may have been used to capture and distribute classified documents, said John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

Miller said he anticipates law enforcement will issue multiple search warrants at different residences connected to the suspect. He said the FBI may also seize weapons belonging to the suspect, Jack Teixeira.

Jack Teixeira is believed to be the leader of the chat group where a trove of classified documents were posted, multiple US officials told CNN.

The search for the suspect began with thousands of people who had access to the documents, but investigators were able to quickly narrow the search to potential members of the chat group with evidence collected in the days immediately following the discovery of classified documents online by US officials.

The first court appearance forJack Teixeirawill be tomorrow in Boston, according to the US Attorney’s office. The exact timing of the appearance will be announced tomorrow.

Teixeira,a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, has been arrested in connection with alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the FBI arrest of a suspect concerning the leaking of classified documents, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

Biden, currently on his way to a banquet dinner in his honor at Dublin Castle, was briefed between his speech to the Irish parliament and his departure. He was at the hotel for roughly 90 minutes between the two events.

Biden has been briefed regularly throughout the investigation, according to officials, and appeared to allude to how close law enforcement officials were to a possible arrest when he answered a question about the matter earlier Thursday in Dublin during a visit with the Irish president.

The Air Force released service details for Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, who was arrested Thursday in connection to a leak of classified intelligence online.

Teixeira is an enlisted airman at the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who joined the service in September 2019, according to his service record. His official job is Cyber Transport Systems journeyman. According tothe Air Force, Cyber Transport Systems specialists are tasked with making sure the service’s “vast, global communications network” is operating correctly.

The rank of Airman 1st Class is the third enlisted rank an airman will make. According to his record, Teixeira had earned one Air Force Achievement Medal, which is a relatively standard medal for airmen of that age and rank to receive.

Teixeira was arrested in Massachusetts on Thursday. Attorney General Merrick Garland said he was arrested in connection with alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks to the press on Thursday.

Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed Thursday thatJack Teixeira,a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested in connection with the leaking of classified documents.

“FBI agents took Teixeira into custody earlier thisafternoon withoutincident,” Garland said at a news conference.

The arrest was connected to an investigation into “alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information,” Garland said.

The attorney general said Teixeira will be arraigned in a federal court.

Garland declined to answer questions.

Watch Garland’s remarks here:

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CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitzcontributed reporting to this post.

Attorney General MerrickGarlandis speaking now from Washington, DC, following reports that a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested by the FBI on Thursday in connection with theleaking of classified documentsthat have been posted online.

The arrest of Jack Teixeira, 21, comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeira had been identified byThe New York Timesahead of his arrest Thursday as the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

As a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard was arrested in connection with the leak of classified US documents, agents were seen in aerial footage directing the 21-year-old suspect to move toward an armored vehicle with his hands on his head. CNN’s Josh Campbell said the apparent “overwhelming show of force” was used because of the suspect’s background in the military.

Agents took extra precautions because the report disclosed him being a gun enthusiast, Campbell said.

The next steps, Campbell said, is investigating the residence of the suspect, which is now considered a crime scene.

“The feds willbe there for a long time,because of course they need todetermine: Are there additionalclassified documents that areinside that residence? [According to] whatwe’ve seen in past cases, thefeds will get their searchwarrants lined up ahead of timein order to go in and searchthat top to bottom,” he said.

Agents will be on the lookout for any location where a computer, a phone or digital files could be stored, Campbell said

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said the leaking of a trove of classified information on social media sites was a “deliberate criminal act,” and the department is looking at how it protects such information.

“We continue to review avariety of factors as it relatesto safeguarding classifiedmaterials. This includesexamining and updatingdistribution lists, assessinghow and where intelligenceproducts are shared and a varietyof other steps. I would say,though, that it is it isimportant to understand that wedo have stringent guidelines inplace for safeguardingclassified and sensitiveinformation,” Ryder said.

“And so, again, I think that’simportant to understand that wewill continue to do everythingwe can to ensure that the peoplewho have a need to know, when it comes to this kind ofinformation, have access to that. We’re always going to learnfrom every situation. Butagain, this is something thatwill continue to look at,” he continued.

According toa US official familiar with the matter,law enforcement have arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, on Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents.

When asked about the 21-year-old, Ryder said he would not discuss the particular case, but said if someone requires a security clearance after joining the military, they go through “the proper vetting.”

“We entrust our members with a lot of responsibility at a very early age,” he said.

“So you’ve received training, and you will receive an understanding of the rules and requirements that come along with those responsibilities,” Ryder added. “And you’re expected to abide by those rules, regulations and responsibility; it’s called military discipline.”

Jack Teixeira is arrested on Thursday.

The FBI arrested Jack Teixeira Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online, according toa US official familiar with the matter.

Teixeira, 21, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. His arrest comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeira was first identified by The New York Times Thursday ahead of his arrest as the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

Jack Teixeira is seen in this photo taken from Instagram.

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Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a media briefing on Thursday.

The Pentagon declined to comment on reports of an impending arrest of the suspected leaker of classified intelligence documents Thursday, saying only that the Pentagon and other agencies are working “around the clock” to get a better sense of the leak.

He said officials are working with other agencies and the intelligence community to “better understand the scope, scale, and impact of these leaks.”

“Just as we’re limited in what we can say about the DOJ’s ongoing investigation will be also very limited in what we can say about any of the documents themselves,” Ryder said.

Law enforcement is expected to soon arrest a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online, according to a law enforcement source.

The guardsman is 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, according to theNew York Times, which reported that he is the leader of an online gaming group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

Some background: The FBI had narrowed the number of people who they believe could be responsible for the leaks and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said earlier.

While there’s a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny, thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. Investigators are working on building a case for prosecution, people familiar with the matter say.

Amajor leak of classified Pentagon documentshas rattled US officials, members of Congress and key allies in recent days.

Now a criminal investigation is being led by the FBI’s Washington field office to find who is responsible. The FBI had narrowed the number of people who could have leaked the information and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said earlier.

What we know about what happened: The documents appeared online last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN.

The posts are photos of crumpled documents laid on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects, such as zip-close bags and Gorilla Glue. It is as if they had been hastily folded up and shoved into a pocket before being removed from a secure location, a source familiar with these kinds of documents told CNN.

A Discord spokesperson confirmed in a statement Sunday that they are cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.

Those documents discovered on Friday all bore classified markings, some top secret — the highest level of classification.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine. Others discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian servicemen fire at Russian positions in the Donbas region last month.

Leaked Pentagon documents contain a wide range of highly classified information – providing a rare window into how the United States spies on allies and adversaries alike.

CNN has reviewed 53 leaked documents, all of which appear to have been produced between mid-February and early March.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.

On Russia and Wagner Group: Others reveal the degree to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, largely through intercepted communications and human sources, which could now be cut off or put in danger.

On Ukraine’s military and Zelensky: Still, others divulge key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a critical point in the war, as Ukrainian forces gear up to launch a counteroffensive against the Russians – and just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.

One document reveals that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said a source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.

The US intelligence report, which is sourced to signals intelligence, says that Zelensky in late February “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” using unmanned aerial vehicles since Ukraine does not have long-range weapons capable of reaching that far.

Signals intelligence includes intercepted communications and is broadly defined by the National Security Agency as “intelligence derived from electronic signals and systems used by foreign targets, such as communications systems, radars, and weapons systems.”

On South Korean officials: Yet another document describes, in remarkable detail, a conversation between two senior South Korean national security officials about concerns by the country’s National Security Council over a US request for ammunition.

The officials worried that supplying the ammunition, which the US would then send to Ukraine, would violate South Korea’s policy of not supplying lethal aid to countries at war. According to the document, one of the officials then suggested a way of getting around the policy without actually changing it – by selling the ammunition to Poland.

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The Pentagon is seen from the air in this March 2022 file photo.

The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following amajor leakof classified information discovered last week.

Some US officials who used to receive the briefing materials daily have stopped receiving them in recent days, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, as the Pentagon’s Joint Staff continues to whittle down its distribution lists.

The Joint Staff, which comprises the Defense Department’s most senior uniformed leadership that advises the president, began examining its distribution lists immediately after learning of the trove of leaked classified documents – many of which had markings indicating they were produced by the Joint Staff’s intelligence arm, known as the J2.

All the email lists have been reviewed, a senior defense official said, and some restrictions may only be temporary. Everyone on the lists had proper clearance, but not everyone needs to receive that information daily, the official added.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder in a Wednesday interview with News Nation that the Pentagon is looking at “mitigation measures in terms of what we can do to prevent potential additional unauthorized leaks.”

The leaked documents have exposed what officials say are lingering vulnerabilities in the management of government secrets, even after agencies overhauled their computer systems following the 2013 Edward Snowden leak, which exposed the scope of the National Security Agency’s intelligence gathering apparatus.

It is unlikely, however, that those safeguards would have prevented the most recent leak, sources said. The documents that circulated online appear to have been printed largely from briefing books that staffers spend hours putting together for senior officials on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.

A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman has been identified by The New York Times as the leader of an online gaming chat group where a trove of classified documents — which contain information about the war in Ukraine — was posted.

The Times reported Thursday that FBI investigators want to talk to the service member and believe he has information relevant to the ongoing investigation into the leak.

CNN has not independently verified the identity of the chat leader or the FBI’s interest in talking with him.

Earlier Thursday, PresidentJoe Bidenappeared to suggest that the US government is close to identifying the leaker.

CNN has previously reported that the Army Criminal Investigation Division is also “assisting the DoD in their investigation” of the leak, Jeffrey Castro, a spokesman for the division, told CNN.

On Wednesday, theWashington Post reportedthat the person behind the leak worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances.

The FBI has narrowed the number of people who they believe could be responsible for leaks of classified US documents and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said.

While there is a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny, thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. Investigators are working on building a case for prosecution, the people familiar with the matter say.

The FBI believes they are close to identifying the person behind the leak.

The leaked documents posted to social media, some of which have been obtained by CNN, include detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges both Kyiv and Moscow face as the conflict appears stuck in a stalemate in the months ahead.

Another source familiar with the criminal investigation at this point said that they expect it’ll move along much more quickly than the Pentagon’s damage assessment. The source also said that the FBI is getting closer to identifying a suspect.

CNN has previously reported that the Army CriminalInvestigation Division is also “assisting the DoD in their investigation” of the leak, according to Jeffrey Castro, a spokesperson for the division. It is unclear if the alleged leaker works within the US Army.

The Washington Postreported Wednesday that the person behindthe massive leakof classified US military documents worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances. CNN has not been able to independently verify the reporting.