The U.S. Army soldier charged with providing troves of
government documents to the whistleblowing website Wikileaks was found not guilty
Tuesday of aiding the enemy, the top charge in his 21-count indictment, which
could have carried a life sentence.
Prosecutors had to prove Army Pfc. Bradley Manning had
"a general evil intent" and knew the classified material would be
seen by the terrorist group Al Qaeda.
Legal experts said an aiding-the- enemy
conviction could set a precedent because Manning did not directly give the
classified material to Al Qaeda.
Manning was convicted of five espionage counts, five theft
charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions. His sentencing
is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
The 25-year-old Crescent, Okla., native acknowledged giving
the anti-secrecy website hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports,
diplomatic cables and videos in early 2010.
Manning said he didn't believe the information would harm
troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.
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