Classified Information, Bradley Manning | featured news

The U.S. Army private accused of providing diplomatic cables and other secret documents to the WikiLeaks website pleaded guilty to misusing classified material on Thursday, but denied the most serious charge in the case, aiding the enemy.

A military judge on Thursday accepted the terms under which the young Army private charged in one of the largest leaks of classified material in U.S. history would plead guilty to lesser charges, a move that raises questions about whether the government will proceed with its most serious charges.

The U.S. Army soldier charged with sending reams of government secrets to WikiLeaks is offering to plead guilty to some less serious offenses. Pfc. Bradley Manning's civilian defense attorney, David Coombs, revealed the offer Wednesday during a pretrial hearing that continues Thursday.

From a second-floor window of his refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Sunday called on President Obama to release Bradley Manning, the United States intelligence analyst accused of leaking masses of confidential information.

The Army intelligence analyst suspected of leaking classified files to the WikiLeaks website gave U.S. enemies "unfettered access" to government secrets, a military prosecutor said on Thursday, but a defense lawyer said the soldier had done no harm.

A friend and leading supporter of WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning said Wednesday he refused to testify before a grand jury, citing his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.