The person who leaked classified information in the US is a gun enthusiast in their 20s who worked on a military base. They shared the information with a group of about two dozen men and young boys on the instant messaging platform Discord, who shared their love of guns, military gear, and God. The Washington Post reported this information on Wednesday, but did not name the person. The Post based its report on interviews with two members of the Discord chat group.
Discord said in a statement that it was cooperating with law enforcement. The Department of Defense and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal probe last week after the matter was referred by the Pentagon.
The person went by the handle OG and was described as being in their early to mid-20s. They were looked up to by members of the group. In what appears to be the gravest leak of U.S. secrets in years, pictures of sensitive documents were posted on Discord, as well as other platforms including 4Chan, Telegram, and Twitter.
U.S. national security agencies and the Justice Department are investigating the release to assess the damage to national security and relations with allies and other countries, including Ukraine.
