Bradley Manning is cleared over helping give enemies data
ByThe Courier Reporter
US soldier Bradley Manning has been acquitted of aiding the enemy by giving classified secrets to WikiLeaks.
The military judge hearing the case, Army Col Denise Lind, announced the verdict yesterday. The charge was the most serious of 21 counts and carried a possible life sentence without parole.
Manning was convicted of five espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions.
Manning’s sentencing hearing is set to begin today in Fort Meade, Maryland.
The 25-year-old from Oklahoma acknowledged giving the anti-secrecy website hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports, diplomatic cables and videos in early 2010.
Manning said he did not believe the information would harm troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.
He said he sent the material to expose war crimes and deceitful diplomacy.
Bradley Manning is cleared over helping give enemies data
