Air Force suspends leaders of alleged Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira's unit
The Air Force said Wednesday it has temporarily suspended two leaders of the unit where accused Pentagon document leaker Jack Teixeira worked.
The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Support Squadron and the detachment commander overseeing administrative support have both been temporarily suspended from their leadership positions and have temporarily lost access to classified systems and information.
The commander of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts made the suspensions last week.
Teixeira, the 21-year-old who allegedly posted hundreds of classified Pentagon documents online for months, worked as a systems administrator in the 102nd Intelligence Wing in the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
The two commanders are suspended pending further investigation by the Air Force inspector general. As more information becomes available, more members of Teixeira's unit could face suspension or removal.
The Air Force reassigned the unit's intelligence mission to other units earlier this month and ordered the inspector general to probe the unit's policies and procedures related to the handling of national security information.
Investigators with the IG's office arrived at Otis Air National Guard Base Tuesday.
Teixeira has a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The Justice Department argued in court documents filed late Wednesday that he should be held until his trial because, among other things, he poses a significant flight risk and nations hostile to the U.S. might even try to help him flee.