FBI Agents Arrest Man Reportedly Identified as Classified Document Leak

FBI agents went to a home in Massachusetts on April 13 and took into custody a man who has reportedly been identified as behind the leak of secret Pentagon documents relating to the Russia–Ukraine war.

Aerial cameras showed heavily armed agents arresting the man in North Dighton.

Numerous reports, citing anonymous officials, identified the man as a 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked classified military documents that undercut some of the official narratives regarding the war, including showing a lower Russian casualty count than official estimates.

Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder declined to comment on the reports, referring reporters to the Department of Justice, which launched an investigation into the leak earlier in April.

The National Guard also referred an inquiry to the FBI and Department of Justice.

The Department of Justice and FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did the Massachusetts National Guard.

President Joe Biden had said earlier Thursday that the government was “getting close” to finding the leaker after a “full-blown investigation” was launched.

Among the documents were estimated numbers of Russian and Ukrainian casualties that conflict with official estimates, including showing a lower number of Russian deaths than portrayed in public.

Officials have seemingly confirmed that the documents are legitimate, with John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, saying the information “is not intended for public consumption” and Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesperson, saying the leaks “present a risk to national security.” But they’ve also said that some of the materials were manipulated.

Ryder said that whoever leaked the documents was in violation of military rules.

“We have procedures, we have protocols in place, we receive regular training on the proper handling of classified information. We sign non-disclosure agreements. So those rules are very clear and anyone who has a security clearance knows that. anyone who violates those rules is doing so willfully,” he said.

“This was a deliberate criminal act to violate those guidelines and rules in the same way that if you locked your front door, and somebody came into your house and took something, you followed your procedures and you locked your door, but somebody went into your house and took something and put it out on the street,” he added later.

The military has been reviewing who receives classified information to try to make sure distribution lists only include people who need to know the information, officials said. They wouldn’t say whether fewer people are receiving the information after the leak.