WASHINGTON — A military investigating officer has recommended that Wikileaks suspect Pfc. Bradley Manning face a general court-martial for allegedly disclosing hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic files and reports, the Army said Thursday.
Manning, 24, is charged with aiding the enemy, transmitting national-defense information in violation of the Espionage Act and more than 20 other criminal counts.
Lt. Col. Paul Alamanza heard evidence against Manning during a week-long Article 32 hearing, a military proceeding similar to a civilian grand jury, last month at Fort Meade, Md. According to an Army statement, Alamanza concluded: “The charges and specifications are in the proper form and that reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged.”
Col. Carl Coffman will review Alamanza’s report and decide whether to refer the case to a general court-martial. The report was provided to Manning’s attorney, David Coombs.
Manning was a military-intelligence analyst at a small base in Iraq and had a top-secret security clearance. He is the only person charged with unauthorized release of more than half a million classified U.S. military reports and diplomatic cables to the WikiLeaks website in May 2010.
