The suspect was relatively easy to find. In a social media world that produces traceable digital fingerprints, it didn’t take long for federal authorities and journalists adept at sifting through data to land on the name of Jack Teixeira. Teixeira, 21, who served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was arrested Thursday in connection with the far-reaching leak of classified documents that have shaken capitals from Washington to Kyiv to Seoul with revelations of U.S. spying on allies and foes alike and the disclosure of sensitive military intelligence about the war in Ukraine.

Teixeira is believed to have posted for years about guns, games his favourite memes — and, according to some others chatting with him, closely guarded U.S. secrets.  The investigative website Bellingcat and The New York Times first publicly identified Teixeira. The suspect, as part of his duties, reportedly had access to highly classified information. The leaker was identified as “the O.G.” by a member of an online chat group on Discord where Teixeira and others posted. The chat group, called “Thug Shaker Central,” drew roughly two dozen enthusiasts who talked about their favourite guns and also shared memes and jokes, some of them racist. The group also included a running discussion on wars that included talk of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.