In a press conference, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said senior US officials had been in contact “at the highest level” with some of Washington’s closest allies over the past few days to discuss the latest leaks.
Who leaked the documents?
The source of the leak is not yet known. Investigators are working to determine which individual or group may have had the ability and motivation to release the intelligence reports.
“We don’t know who’s behind this, we don’t know what the motive is or what else might be out there,” Kirby admitted.
At the request of the Pentagon, the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation to determine the source of the leak of these documents.
“We will continue to investigate and knock over every stone until we find the source and extent of this,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said at a news conference on Tuesday, becoming the first senior official to speak on the issue.
On Friday, April 7, the Portal agency, citing three US sources, said Russia or pro-Russian agents could be behind the leak.
However, some national security experts and US officials say they suspect the leak’s author may be American, given the breadth of topics covered in the documents. In her opinion, other theories could emerge as the investigation progresses.
What consequences can this leak have?
The leaks could be the most damaging release of US government information since thousands of documents were released on WikiLeaks in 2013.
The consequences of the apparent leak could be significant, even fatal, jeopardizing US intelligence sources and providing valuable information to enemies of the country.
With information from AFP, EFE and Portal