Teixeira had only been in the service for four years and was in the Massachusetts National Guard. According to US correspondent Jan Postma, despite his young age and low rank, he had access to the documents because, as a system administrator, he was part of the ICT team at the air force base where he worked and lived.
‘People in Washington wonder how this is possible. According to an army spokesman, this is how the army works, with great responsibilities placed on young soldiers. But in the meantime we learn from the American media that about one million people have access to secret material. There’s really a lot of turmoil about it in Washington,’ Postma says.
Although Teixeira leaked large amounts of information, he did not consider himself an informant. “According to his friends on that forum, he wanted to tell how the world worked, so he doesn’t see himself as the new Edward Snowden,” Postma refers to the whistleblower who also leaked state secrets as a system administrator.
Postma acknowledges that the leak could have serious consequences. “It is especially painful that this leak occurs during such a war, in times when intelligence is so important and you can take advantage of it. You hear it rumbling in Washington, in Cogre they really want to know: how can this happen and how can we prevent it in the future?’
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