FBI makes probable cause arrest in connection with classified docs leak: Sources

President Biden said earlier Thursday the DOJ was "getting close" in its probe.

ABC NEWS—The FBI has made a probable cause arrest in North Dighton, Massachusetts, in connection with the leaked documents probe, sources familiar with the situation said Thursday.

The name of the person taken into custody in connection with the leak is Jack Teixeira, a law enforcement official told ABC News.

Authorities had earlier identified a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard as a person of interest in the investigation into classified documents leaked over the Discord social media platform in recent months, sources told ABC News Thursday.

Earlier, sources told ABC News the FBI had made significant progress in identifying the person suspected of leaking classified documents over the Discord social media platform in recent months. Authorities are working toward building a prosecutable case and identifying all those who may have had unauthorized access to the materials and been involved in the disclosures.

At the Pentagon, spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, said, “It is important to understand that we do have stringent guidelines in place for safeguarding classified and sensitive information. This was a deliberate, criminal act – a violation of those guidelines.”

Media reports have described the documents as being shared among a small group of users on Discord before getting wider notice. The Washington Post interviewed one person who say says he was part of the group believes the alleged leaker, who goes by the moniker “OG,” worked on a military base.

President Joe Biden broke his silence Thursday on the leak of apparently highly classified documents after the Washington Post report.

Biden told reporters in Dublin that the Justice Department was “getting close” in its criminal investigation into how the U.S. intelligence documents — which seem to contain top-secret information about the Ukraine war and other parts of the world — ended up online.

“Right now there’s a full-blown investigation going on and, you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they’re getting close,” Biden said when asked if he could provide an update on the probe. “But I don’t have an answer.”

The disclosure has raised diplomatic issues that U.S. intelligence has been spying on its allies as well as its adversaries. Asked about whether he was concerned about the leak, Biden played down its potential impact.

The Washington Post characterized the alleged leaker as a “young, charismatic gun enthusiast” who began disseminating the documents in a private server group on Discord last fall.

The Washington Post cited an interview with a teenager who said he was part of the group, which he joined at the start of the pandemic and said contained roughly two dozen members, some from foreign countries.

The teen referred to the leaker as “OG” and said he was in his early to mid-20s, though the minor denied to share his real name, where he lived or the military base where he worked. The minor said “OG” had dubious views of law enforcement and the intelligence community, and would rant about “government overreach.”

Washington Post reporter Shane Harris described the leaker as someone who was “trying to impress his friends,” and the newspaper said it was unlikely he intended for the documents to spread across the internet.