FBI agents arrest Jack Teixeira outside a residence in this still image taken from video in North Dighton, Massachusetts on April 13, 2023.
The FBI has arrested an employee of the US Air Force National Guard over the leaks online of classified US documents that embarrassed Washington with allies around the world.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Thursday the FBI arrested the suspect, Jack Teixeira, "in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention, and transmission of classified national defence information."
The FBI said its agents had made an arrest and were conducting "authorised law enforcement activity at a residence in North Dighton, Massachusetts."
Video images played on news channels showed heavily armed officers in Massachusetts accompanying a young man wearing a gray t-shirt and bright red shorts into a waiting car.
His head was bowed and his hair was close-cropped.
The leaks were a "deliberate, criminal act," the Pentagon said. Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder referred questions about the investigation to the Department of Justice.
READ MORE: Revelations galore: Pentagon document leak rocks US, allies
The FBI has arrested an employee of the US Air National Guard over a major leak of sensitive US government secrets pic.twitter.com/hTJT9i1epg
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'Very serious' security risk
Some of the most sensitive leaked details are purportedly related to Ukraine's military capabilities and shortcomings, and information about US allies including Israel and South Korea.
It is believed to be the most serious security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.
Reuters has reviewed more than 50 of the documents, labeled "Secret" and "Top Secret" but has not independently verified their authenticity. The number of documents leaked is likely to be over 100.
A top Pentagon spokesperson told reporters earlier this week that the disclosures present a "very serious risk to national security," and the Justice Department opened an investigation to identify the person responsible.
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.
The Times cited interviews and documents it reviewed.
The emergence of Teixeira as the apparent primary suspect is bound to raise questions about how the highest-profile intelligence leak in years, one that continues to unfold with almost daily revelations of highly classified documents, could have been caused by such a young, low-ranking service member.
The National Guard did not confirm his identity but said in a statement that, "We are aware of the investigation into the alleged role a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman may have played in the recent leak of highly-classified documents."
READ MORE: Pentagon warns of 'serious' security risk from leaked US documents
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