Big U.S. Intelligence Leak Was by Gun Enthusiast in 20s -Washington Post
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(Reuters) - A gun enthusiast in his 20s, who leaks classified U.S. documents, prompting a national security inquiry, is the subject of a national security investigation, according to Washington Post reports on Wednesday. He was cited by fellow members of an online chat forum.
According to the Post, the person disclosed classified information to Discord group of around two dozen young men and boys who had a mutual love for guns, military gear, and God.
The Post's report, which did no name the person, was based on interviews with two Discord chat members.
Reuters could not verify the details of this report.
Discord stated in a statement that it is cooperating with law enforcement earlier Wednesday.
Reuters reached out to the Department of Defense and Department of Justice for comment but they did not immediately reply.
After the Pentagon referred the matter, the Department of Justice launched a formal criminal investigation. It is currently evaluating the damage caused by this potentially devastating release of classified U.S. data in many years.
The handle OG was shorthand for Original Gangster or an old-school traditionalist. One source told the Post that the person was in his mid-20s and was looked up by other members of the group.
He's trained.
Pictures of sensitive documents were posted on Discord, as well as other platforms, including the online messaging board 4Chan and the encrypted Telegram global messaging platform. This appears to be the worst leakage of U.S secrets in years.
The U.S. National Security Agencies and the Justice Department are currently investigating the release in order to assess the potential damage to national security as well as relations with other countries, such Ukraine.