Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images
- Prior to his arrest for leaking classified Pentagon documents, Jack Teixeira was stockpiling weapons, The New York Times reported.
- The Times spoke to a Discord user who was in frequent contact with the 21-year-old Air National Guardsman.
- The user said Teixeira often spoke of his fascination with mass shootings and acquiring new weapons.
Jack Teixeira appeared to have been stockpiling weapons ahead of his arrest, according to chat records reviewed exclusively by The New York Times.
Teixeira, the 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman indicted in connection to a classified information leak of hundreds of Pentagon documents, had a stash of guns in his army-themed bedroom, court documents previously showed.
The Times got a fresh account of Teixeira's ambitions from a Discord user who frequently communicated with Teixeira. The user, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity, said Teixeira claimed to be stockpiling weapons and military gear.
Over the span of two years, Teixeira claimed to have at least 16 firearms. He posted about six new guns in February and March alone – shortly before his arrest in mid-April, The Times reported.
The anonymous source told The Times that Teixeira spoke of his aspirations to confront protestors he might come in contact with during the 2024 presidential campaign. He also talked about modifying vehicles with weapons.
While the anonymous user said they didn't know how serious Teixeira was about those endeavors, they did say Teixeira showed a keen interest in mass shootings. Teixeira focused his commentary on the firepower more than the death toll, according to The Times.
"I think analyzing mass shootings is cool. And fun," Teixeira wrote on Sept. 5, 2022, per the Times.
Chat logs seen by The Times showed Teixeira posted several videos of himself firing different rifles, including one session where he shot a Soviet-designed semiautomatic rifle from a truck bed. In the days prior, Teixeira sought advice about firing an AR-style rifle "out of an suv" in "a crowded urban or suburban environment," The Times reported, citing filings by prosecutors.
When agents arrested Teixeira, investigators found a gun locker with an "arsenal" of weapons – including "handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style high-capacity weapon, and a gas mask" – two feet from his bed, Insider previously reported.