A detention hearing scheduled Wednesday for Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking a trove of classified government documents, has been delayed.
Teixeira appeared briefly in Boston‘s federal court before Magistrate Judge David Hennessy agreed to postpone the hearing, meant to determine whether the 21-year-old suspect will remain jailed ahead of his trial. Appearing in handcuffs and an orange jumper, Teixeira waived his right to a preliminary hearing, but said little else before he was escorted from the courtroom.
In a motion filed earlier this week, the defense asked for another two weeks to prepare for the hearing, noting it “requires more time to address the issues presented by the government’s request for detention.”
A new date for the hearing has not been set.
Teixeira was charged last week under the Espionage Act with unauthorized retention and transmission of classified national defense information. During his initial court appearance Friday, a magistrate judge ordered him to remain in custody until his detention hearing.
If convicted on both charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison. He has not yet entered a plea.
Teixeira was arrested on April 13, a week after reports of leaked classified documents started making headlines. The “sensitive and highly classified material” was posted online, specifically to Discord, a social media site popular with gamers, according to court documents. The material included briefing slides detailing Ukrainian military positions as well as assessments of international support for Ukraine and other sensitive topics.
How he exactly obtained the classified information remains under investigation. However, one member of the group told the New York Times that Teixeira began sharing photos of documents after his initial writeups weren’t taken seriously.