Army Intelligence Analyst Arrested In Wikileaks Video Investigation

by Glynnis MacNicol | 9:07 am, June 7th, 2010

» 8 comments

Wired is reporting that an Army intelligence analyst who apparently “boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records” to the whistleblower site has been nabbed by federal officials.

You will recall that Wikileaks made national, and controversial, headlines in March when it published edited video of the US Military killing 12 individuals in Iraq, two of whom were revealed to be staff members of the Reuters news organization. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange later appeared on Stephen Colbert to defend the publication of the video. More from Wired:

SPC Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Maryland, was stationed at Forward Operating Base Hammer, 40 miles east of Baghdad, where he was arrested nearly two weeks ago by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. A family member says he’s being held in custody in Kuwait, and has not been formally charged.

Manning was turned in late last month by a former computer hacker with whom he spoke online. In the course of their chats, Manning took credit for leaking a headline-making video of a helicopter attack that Wikileaks posted online in April. The video showed a deadly 2007 U.S. helicopter air strike in Baghdad that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians.
[...]
“Hillary Clinton, and several thousand diplomats around the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning, and find an entire repository of classified foreign policy is available, in searchable format, to the public,” Manning wrote.

Yes indeed. Or not. Manning was turned in after he contacted a former hacker Adrian Lamo, who had worked in the past with Wikileaks. Lamo told Wired he had agonized over the decision and that he “wouldn’t have done this if lives weren’t in danger.” There’s no word yet on what charges Manning may face.

Related: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe [Wired]

Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, Wikileaks, Wired

me1ranger

What a piece of shit..next stop for him..a job at the New York Times.
http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

Paraphrasing comments that I made to another site: He “confessed” to a person, whom he apparently knew from a Wired article profiling him as someone who would “hack” into sites and use the media to publicize the holes, so the companies would feel the need to fix them.

I don’t know Manning’s reasons for contacting Lamo and as someone else guessed on the other site, there could be a “don’t ask, don’t tell” thing at play… but the guy who couldn’t keep secrets, couldn’t keep it a secret that he leaked and he chose to tell someone known for using the media.

Oh, and as bit of disclosure: I’ve commented several times across the web in support of Wikileaks. I have questioned some of publicity and monetary needs, but I support their mission and though I chose not to watch the leaked Apache tape, I have no problem that it came out and I commend SPC Manning for his part.

Of course, support it or not, he still committed a crime, but I don’t think that makes him less of a hero.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Jones/1384303476 Chris Jones

He should get life in prison. What a disgrace.
MyKinKStar

SHAME ON HIM. His family must be sooo proud, willing to stand by his worthless ass.
Erebys

Leaking the Apache tape is one thing, but classified foreign policy details? Why would you do that? What benefit to the American people does that provide?
germ

Wait, you support someone that committed a crime? I was an intelligence analyst in the Baghdad AOR early in the war. The crime he committed was pretty much the worst crime one could commit as an intelligence analyst. There are a ton of “cool” things I wish I could have taken out of the SCIF and shown my friends, but I didn’t, although I had the access to do it.

He will be spending the next 20 years of his life at Leavenworth. I hope he thinks it was worth it.
murphy0071

God bless you for doing what is right. The United States is the terrorist here and people need to know it.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bryan-Perez/1086301431 Bryan Perez

Too bad this mans civil rights are non existant because he belongs to the military no freedom of speech or press allowed I guess. I think all you people that are thinking about whats best for America are pretty selfish. Those men in that helicopter murdered several civillians in cold blood. I could see how that telelphoto lens might look like a RPG. But what did those 2 innocent children in the van do? Sitting in the family truckster taking a ride to school with dad in a war torn country only to be assualted by some jerks in a aircraft? The other men signed up for it knew what they were getting into, but those poor children? When their dad was trying to save the wounded he was murdered in cold blood it was clear when the first few rounds went down range he was interested in a rescue effort and more in keeping himself alive. Makes you wonder how much more of this crap is going on unreported or covered up.