US airman pleads guilty to Pentagon documents leak

An Air National Guard member has pleaded guilty to posting dozens of classified documents online in one of highest-profile intelligence leaks in recent years.

Prosecutors recommend that Jack Teixeira, 22, be sentenced to up to 16 years and eight months in prison.

While working at an Air National Guard base, he posted documents to Discord, a platform popular with gamers.

The material included maps, satellite images and intelligence on US allies.

Teixeira pleaded guilty to six counts of wilful retention and transmission of national defence information in a US federal court in Boston on Monday.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. However, under the details of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to ask for a term of 200 months in prison - which Teixeira has agreed not to contest.

He will also be fined $50,000 (£39,000).

Teixeira initially began sharing classified information in late 2022 to a small community of gun and military enthusiasts on a Discord server, or chatroom.

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