Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning faces military trial

PanARMENIAN.Net - Wikileaks suspect Bradley Manning is to face a court martial, the U.S. Army has confirmed.

Private Manning, 24, an intelligence analyst who served in Iraq, is alleged to have leaked U.S. government cables to the whistle-blowing website.

He could face life in prison if convicted of leaking thousands of documents and "aiding the enemy".

Pte Manning appeared for a pre-trial hearing in December, following which a court martial was recommended. He was arrested in May 2010 in connection with the leaks.

No date has been set for the court martial, the Army said in a statement confirming the decision. Presiding officer Maj Gen Michael S. Linnington reviewed the evidence from December's hearing as well as recommendations from the chain of command before concluding that a court martial was justified.

The U.S. Army will now select a military judge, who will choose a date for a pre-trial hearing, or arraignment, as well as a subsequent hearings and a trial, BBC News reported.

During his preliminary hearing, known as an Article 32 hearing, the court heard that Pte Manning held a data card containing 500,000 classified battlefield reports, as well as contact details for Julian Assange - the founder and head of Wikileaks.

"This is possibly one of the more significant documents of our time, removing the fog of war and revealing the true nature of 21st Century asymmetric warfare. Have a good day," Pte Manning was alleged to have written in one text file.