Inside the Online Community of the Air National Guard Member Accused of Leaking Classified Documents

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The case of Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guard member accused of leaking classified U.S. intelligence documents, has attracted attention not only for the severity of the allegations but also for the online communities involved. Recently, an internet user claiming to be a member of the tight-knit group where Teixeira allegedly shared the images of classified documents spoke with ABC News, shedding light on the accused airman and the group he was part of.

The user, who identified themselves as "Vahki," said they had been a member of Teixeira's server for four to five years, and that Teixeira was admired within the group of 25 people. Vahki described Teixeira as "very smart, and always was [one] step ahead of everyone."

According to Vahki, Teixeira was a compassionate person who "supported" members of their small online community as the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on their mental health. He added that Teixeira was interested in educating the group and wanted them to be informed ahead of the news cycle.

Vahki also mentioned that religion was a popular topic on their small Discord server, and most of the members were Orthodox Christians. He described Teixeira as a Christian with Libertarian political views.

However, when it came to the classified documents that Teixeira allegedly transcribed and shared in the group, few members seemed to take an interest. Vahki said there were no reactions to the documents and nobody talked about them. The lack of response led Teixeira to abandon the task of transcription in favor of printing and photographing the documents, which Vahki said required less effort.

Around the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023, Vahki said, Teixeira shifted from transcribing the documents to printing and photographing them. Later, in early March, images of the leaked documents appeared on a larger Discord server dedicated to the YouTube creator "wow mao." These images were posted by a young user known by the username Lucca, according to records reviewed by ABC News.

Discord admins for that server previously described Lucca to ABC News as a "hyperactive kid." "He was still like, a little kid on the server. He was a good kid, you know? He's mid to late teens," an admin who goes by the username Krralj said. "And like he was, he's always active. He joined the voice call to listen ... when he was in school."

Vahki said that he and Lucca are close friends and claimed that Lucca and Teixeira had minimal interactions. The user also stated that Teixeira did not participate in posting memes that might appear racist, sexist, or transphobic to outsiders. Vahki said that the group had a diverse membership, and when members complained, offending content was removed.

These claims contrast with reports that Teixeira appeared in a video making racial and anti-Semitic slurs into the camera at a shooting range. The Washington Post reported last week that it had reviewed the video, which shows Teixeira firing several rounds at a target after making the offensive remarks.

Despite this, Vahki believes that the online community has misunderstood Teixeira, whom he described as "a good person, at the end of the day." The user acknowledged that some members of the group posted "funny memes" that might appear racist, sexist, or transphobic to outsiders, but claimed that Teixeira did not participate in posting them.

Vahki's decision to speak with ABC News may have been driven by a desire to clear up misconceptions about Teixeira. However, it is unclear whether other members of the group will speak out, or whether law

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