Details about the person who leaked sensitive U.S. intelligence documents have emerged in new reporting from The Washington Post.
The leaker is described as a gun enthusiast who worked on a military base and joined a private group on a social media platform popular with gamers who sought companionship amid the isolation of the pandemic, the report said.
It was on Discord where, according to The Post, “United by their mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the group of roughly two dozen — mostly men and boys — formed an invitation-only clubhouse in 2020.”
The leaker, who went by the handle “OG,” posted the documents on Discord in a “message laden with strange acronyms and jargon,” the report said.
A member of the group told The Post that OG claimed he got the documents from a military base that the member declined to identify.
“He’s a smart person. He knew what he was doing when he posted these documents, of course. These weren’t accidental leaks of any kind,” the member said.
The young member is described in the report as being under 18 years of age.
A second member confirmed the young member’s account.
Both members claim to know OG’s real name and the state where he lives and works but have declined to share that information with authorities.
The members appear in a video on The Post’s website with their faces and voices obscured.
“I want to keep OG’s identity secret because I still care for him like he's a family member. He is another Russian operative. He's not a Ukrainian operative. I'll go as far as to say he's not even on the east side of the world,” one member said.
“Any claims that he is a Russian operative or pro-Russian is categorically false. He is not interested in helping any foreign agencies attack the US or the countries. He was a young charismatic man who loved nature and God, who loved shooting guns and racing cars.”
