President Joe Biden has hinted that the US government is on the verge of identifying the person responsible for the recent disclosure of sensitive government secrets

posted on social media. Speaking in Dublin, Biden confirmed that there is a "full-blown investigation going on" by the intelligence community and the Justice Department. Two people briefed on the matter have stated that the FBI has narrowed down the number of suspects and has been conducting interviews recently. Although there are a significant number of people who had access to the documents, the investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. The FBI believes they are close to identifying the person behind the leak, and investigators are working on building a case for prosecution.

CNN has previously reported that the Army Criminal Investigation Division is assisting the Department of Defense (DoD) with their investigation of the leak. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the person behind the leak worked on a military base and posted sensitive national security secrets in an online group of acquaintances. The leaker is described as a lonely young man and gun enthusiast who was part of a chatroom of about two dozen people on Discord - a social media platform popular with video gamers - that shared a love of guns and military gear.

Biden stated that he was concerned about the fact that the leaks happened, but not necessarily about their content. The leaked documents posted to social media include detailed intelligence assessments of allies and adversaries alike, including on the state of the war in Ukraine and the challenges both Kyiv and Moscow face as the war appears stuck in a stalemate in the months ahead. The Pentagon has begun to limit who across the government receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs following the major leak of classified information discovered last week. The Joint Staff has been examining its distribution lists, and some officials who used to receive the briefing materials daily have stopped receiving them in recent days.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder has stated that the Pentagon is looking at "mitigation measures in terms of what we can do to prevent potential additional unauthorized leaks." The criminal investigation is being led by the FBI's Washington field office, including a team of counterintelligence investigators experienced in hunting leaks. Those investigators are also working with Pentagon officials on the damage assessment, which would become part of the evidence to be used in any potential prosecution that results. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.

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