The paper is based on conversations with two members of the chat group who claim to know OG’s true identity. The newspaper read messages from the chat group and analyzed some 300 photos of classified documents, most of which have not yet been published elsewhere. The paper also says it has a voice recording, photos and a video of OG.
Initially, OG typed the pieces verbatim and provided commentary, including to explain intelligence agency jargon. Since the other group members didn’t read the long messages and it took him too long, he later posted photos of secret items. The two members of the group with whom the newspaper spoke recognized in some photos in the background parts of the room in which OG also recorded video messages for them.
By invitation only
The chat group had been around since 2020, according to the Washington Post, and was invite-only. The 20 or so members, mostly boys and young men, shared a fascination with “guns, military equipment and God,” according to the paper. OG has been posting a few docs a week since late last year, which have found their way from Discord to other social media.
The US Department of Defense is trying both to establish the authenticity of the documents and to assess the dangers the leak could pose to the security of the United States and other countries. The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into the leak.