New Charges Against U.S. Army WikiLeaks Suspect
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — The United States Army has filed 22 additional charges against the soldier suspected of obtaining and leaking hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. government documents that were later published by the WikiLeaks website.
The new charges accuse Private 1st Class Bradley Manning of extracting classified information, illegally downloading it and transmitting the data for public release in what the Army described as acts that aid “enemies” of the United States.
In a written statement, the Army said Manning could face life in prison and other penalties if he were convicted on all charges.
A trial of Manning, 23, has been delayed while experts examine his mental state to determine his fitness for trial.
Manning is being held at a U.S. Marine Corps base in Virginia, near Washington.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied knowing Manning.
The U.S. government has condemned the publication by WikiLeaks of private U.S. diplomatic messages and military documents related to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
