A senior legislator alleged that allegedly leaked information regarding UK special troops in Ukraine might “endanger lives.”
The records, which were allegedly obtained through the social networking site Discord, could be hazardous to UK troops, according to Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons defense select committee.
However, the Ministry of Defence claimed that the leak was inaccurate to a “serious level” and should not be believed at face value.
An unidentified person allegedly published purportedly classified US documents on Discord, spelling them out and adding their own comments before publishing screenshots of the materials.
Said posts went unnoticed outside of the chat until a few weeks ago, when they began to circulate more widely online.
Analysis from the Associated Press could not independently confirm many of the details shared, and the original chatroom has been deleted.
Mr Ellwood said: ‘Given our long-established lead in scale and capability when it comes to elite forces, it will come as no surprise that our special forces are doing much of the heavy lifting.
‘But this deliberate, large-scale disclosure of sensitive material could easily endanger lives and should prompt an urgent review about who has access to sensitive information and how it is shared.’
A document, dated March 23, suggested up to 50 UK special forces personnel have been deployed to Ukraine alongside other western special forces – but the document doesn’t state where those forces are located or what they are doing.
Chris Meagher, a spokesman for the Pentagon, has urged caution in ‘promoting or amplifying any of these documents’, adding that ‘it does appear that slides have been doctored’.
It is not yet known whether more documents could appear online.
When asked if the US government was waiting for more documents to be leaked, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby replied: ‘The truth and the honest answer to your question is: We don’t know. And is that a matter of concern to us? You’re darn right it is.’
Meanwhile, there is speculation that US president Joe Biden is anti-British after a proposed bilateral meeting with prime minister Rishi Sunak over a UK-US free trade deal was downgraded to an informal coffee.
At one point it appeared the president pushed Mr Sunak away from him, instead opting for a hug with a US diplomat, and Mr Biden’s limousine, The Beast, blocked the view of their parting handshake.
But Home Office minister Chris Philp rejected those assertions, insisting Mr Sunak and Mr Biden had ‘extensive discussions’.
Speaking to GB News, Mr Philp said: ‘I don’t know exactly what the Prime Minister’s schedule was. I haven’t discussed it with him or No 10.
‘Of course they did have extensive discussions in Belfast yesterday before President Biden’s speech.
‘I don’t think the president is anti-British. I think the president, when he spoke to the King recently, agreed to come to the United Kingdom on a full state visit which is fantastic.
‘I think he’s been here four times since becoming president so no, I don’t think – I would not accept that characterisation at all.’