PENTAGON leaker Jack Teixeira made a panicked call to his gamer friends before he was arrested by FBI agents.
The US Air National Guardsmen, 21, was taken into custody from his home in Dighton, Massachusetts on Thursday, accused of sharing top secret US documents.
Before his arrest, Teixeira frantically joined a call with pals from a small online gaming community.
According to a friend who spoke to the New York Times, it sounded like he was in a speeding car.
Teixeira is said to have told them: “Guys, it’s been good – I love you all.
“I never wanted it to get like this. I prayed to God that this would never happen.
“And I prayed and prayed and prayed. Only God can decide what happens from now on.”
Teixeira was then arrested on Thursday and is due to appear in court on charges under the Espionage Act of 1917.
News helicopter footage showed the suspect – in red shorts with his hands behind his back – being placed by heavily-armed agents into an unmarked sports utility vehicle, in a forested area.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said Teixeira was arrested “without incident” and he will have an initial appearance in court.
It has since emerged that he was serving in the same wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard that his stepdad Master Sgt. Thomas Dufault had before retiring four years ago.
Teixeira enlisted in the 102nd Intelligence Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and served as a member of the intelligence wing.
Outside of work, Teixeira allegedly oversaw an online Discord group called Thug Shaker Central where around 30 people – mostly young men and teens – shared a love of guns, racist memes, and games
But the group took a brief, tangential turn towards the war in Ukraine.
Teixeira then allegedly sent a swathe of apparently genuine, top-secret US government information to the group.
This was one of the first sightings of the Pentagon Papers — leaked from the supposedly secure nerve centre of the US intelligence community.
And the bizarre online revelation has since snowballed into the most serious national security crisis the US has faced in years.
The leaked documents, which were shared on Discord, Twitter, and Telegram contained details of US and Nato plans to help Ukraine prepare ahead of a spring offensive against Russia.
They reportedly contained sensitive information including charts and details about weapons deliveries, and battalion strengths.
In what can be considered one of the worst intelligence breaches in US history, the leak fuelled the fire of speculation about Vladimir Putin’s health amid rumours he is battling cancer.
The docs suggested that the Russian leader is undergoing chemotherapy while his inner circle could be using his deteriorating health to plot against him.
The leaked military documents showed that a British spy plane narrowly avoided being shot down by the Russians due to a missile malfunction.
According to the report, the Russian jet was flying above the Black Sea when its pilot believed he had permission to fire.
Fortunately, the missile malfunctioned and a potentially catastrophic incident was averted.
The docs also included information about China, suggesting that Beijing has secretly launched a 6,500mph hypersonic missile that could beat US defence systems.
One of China‘s experimental missiles, the DF-27 hypersonic glide vehicle, was launched on February 25 and flew for 12 minutes over a distance of 1,300 miles.
Teixeira was working as an Air National Guardsman[/caption]
