Bradley Manning leaked sensitive information, court martial told
Prosecutors reject claim that the disclosures, including troop movements and the names of criminal suspects, did not compromise security
A video of a US Apache helicopter attack leaked by US Army soldier Bradley Manning revealed sensitive information that could help enemies plan deadlier assaults, according to a Pentagon official’s statement read on Wednesday at the soldier’s court martial.
“Enemies can anticipate US operations and plan more effective attacks as a result,” LaRue said in his statement.
LaRue is an Apache helicopter expert. His statement was about a 2007 attack in Baghdad that killed a Reuters news photographer and his driver.
Prosecutors want to convict Manning of 21 charges, including aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence. They say he divulged information that found its way to Osama bin Laden.
Manning, 25, has said he didn’t believe that the more than 700,000 battlefield reports, diplomatic cables and video clips he leaked while working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad would hurt national security.
Also on Wednesday, a defence attorney won an objection after prosecutors said they could not produce a computer security agreement the soldier signed after arriving in Iraq in 2009.