In court files ahead of his detention hearing in Worcester, Mass., Justice Department prosecutors argued that Teixeira has exhibited dangerous behavior in the past and should be held ahead of trial.
Prosecutors said Teixeira has previously allegedly mentioned he would like to kill a "ton of people" on social media posts, referenced an "assassination van" and has a history of researching mass shootings.
They also said Teixeira was suspended from high school in 2018 after a classmate overheard him allegedly making racial threats and discussing how to make weapons like molotov cocktails.
Prosecutors said Teixeira could have more classified material, which would hold "tremendous value to hostile nation states that could offer him safe harbor and attempt to facilitate his escape from the United States."
"The damage the Defendant has already caused to the U.S. national security is immense," they wrote in court filings. "The damage the Defendant is still capable of causing is extraordinary."
Teixeira's defense attorney argued he was not a flight risk and should be allowed out under home arrest, also arguing he never intended to leak the documents for the world to see.
The Justice Department's "argument that Mr. Teixeira will continue to release information or destroy evidence if not detained rings hollow," the defense attorneys wrote in court papers.
The judge did not make an immediate decision on the matter and Teixeira was led away in handcuffs in an orange jumpsuit and with black rosary beads around his neck.
Teixeira, who was arrested on April 14 and charged under the Espionage Act, allegedly leaked the documents for months on the online chat forum site Discord before the classified information spilled out across social media in March.
The documents revealed the Pentagon's insights into the war in Ukraine, the affairs of U.S. allies and insights into foreign adversaries' plans.
Teixeira worked as an IT specialist at Otis Air National Guard Base, where he maintained a network containing the highest level of classified information.
Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder declined to speak on Teixeira's case, but told reporters the "vast majority" of service members uphold their oaths "honorably."
"They come to work everyday, they can be trusted to do their jobs and adhere by the oath that they took," Ryder said. "It's important not necessarily to take the actions of one individual and somehow paint a picture that indicates a systemic breakdown."
We have the full report available at TheHill.com.
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