Bradley Manning Not Guilty Of Aiding The Enemy

The former Army intelligence analyst is convicted of 20 lesser charges that could carry a sentence of up to 136 years behind bars.


Video: Bradley Manning Trial Verdict


US soldier Bradley Manning has been found not guilty of aiding the enemy, but guilty of 20 lesser charges that could carry up to 136 years in prison.

The guilty counts included five espionage and five theft charges, computer fraud and other military infractions.

American blogger Xeni Jardin tweeted that Manning flashed a "faint smile" as he was cleared of the most serious accusation - that he knowingly helped enemies of the US, most notably Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.

He had denied this offence, which carried a life sentence without parole, during the two month trial in Fort Meade, Maryland.

Manning supporters gesture peace signs after the verdict

Manning's lawyer David Coombs said outside court: "We won the battle, now we need to go win the war. Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire."

Manning's sentencing hearing begins on Wednesday and may be a lengthy process as both the defence and prosecution are allowed to call witnesses.

WikiLeaks described Manning's espionage convictions as "dangerous national security extremism from the Obama administration" on Twitter.

Founder Julian Assange hailed him as a "hero" and said the espionage convictions set a "dangerous precedent".

Manning's lawyer David Coombs

"This was never a free trial. WikiLeaks will not rest until he is free," said Assange.

Manning's family said they were "disappointed in today's verdicts but happy that the judge agreed that Bradley never intended to help America's enemies", tweeted a Guardian journalist.

The verdict was delivered by Army Colonel Denise Lindfollows after she deliberated for about 16 hours over three days.

The 25-year-old had admitted giving the anti-secrecy website some 700,000 documents, pleading guilty to 10 lesser charges, including espionage and computer fraud.

Supporters hailed Manning as a whistleblower while the government called him an anarchist computer hacker and attention-seeking traitor following the most voluminous release of classified material in US history.

Manning has said he leaked the material to expose the US military's "bloodlust" and disregard for human life, and what he considered American diplomatic deceit.

He said he chose information he believed would not the harm the US and he wanted to start a debate on military and foreign policy. He did not testify at his trial.

The material WikiLeaks began publishing in 2010 documented complaints of abuses against Iraqi detainees, a US tally of civilian deaths in Iraq and America's weak support for the government of Tunisia.

Manning supporters outside court

Manning supporters said the last disclosure helped trigger the Middle Eastern pro-democracy uprisings known as the Arab Spring.


Prosecutors said during the trial Manning relied on WikiLeaks and its founder Assange for guidance on what secrets to "harvest" for the organisation.

Federal authorities are looking into whether Assange can be prosecuted.

He has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on sex crimes allegations.

Following the verdict, Assange criticised the treatment of the soldier, saying he had been stripped, kept isolated and in a cage to "break" him.

Assange said there were two appeals within the US justice system as well as the Supreme Court, adding the only victim in the case had been the US government's "wounded pride".

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who first reported Edward Snowden's disclosure of US surveillance programmes said Manning's acquittal on the most serious charge, represented a "tiny sliver of justice".

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    Bradley Manning Trial Verdict

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  • Video: Bradley Manning Trial Verdict

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