WASHINGTON-UNS: US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that investigators were closing in on the source of the leak of highly classified US intelligence documents, in what is believed to be the most serious security breach in a decade.
The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal probe last week after the matter was referred by the Pentagon, which is assessing the damage done by the release.
Some of the most sensitive leaked details are purportedly related to Ukraine’s military capabilities and shortcomings, and information about US allies including Israel, South Korea, and Turkey.
Reuters has reviewed more than 50 of the documents, labelled “Secret” and “Top Secret” but has not independently verified their authenticity. The number of documents leaked is likely to be over 100.
A number of countries have questioned the veracity of some of the documents, including Britain, which said there was “a serious level of inaccuracy” in the information.
Biden, on a three-day tour of Ireland, said he was not overly concerned about the leak.
“There’s a full-blown investigation going on, as you know, with the intelligence community and the Justice Department, and they’re getting close but I don’t have an answer,” Biden told reporters.
