FORT MEADE, Md. — Army Private First Class Bradley Manning’s fate was in the hands of a military judge on Friday after nearly two months of conflicting portrayals of the soldier: a traitor who gave WikiLeaks classified secrets for worldwide attention or a young, naive intelligence officer who wanted people to know about war’s atrocities.
Judge Colonel Denise Lind was to start deliberating Friday night on the 21 charges Manning faces, but she did not say when she would rule. The most serious charge is aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence in prison.
During closing arguments, defense attorney David Coombs said Manning was negligent in releasing classified material, but he did not know Al Qaeda would see the material and did not have “evil intent,” a key point prosecutors must prove to convict Manning of aiding the enemy.
Prosecutors contended Manning, 25, knew the material would be seen across the globe, even by Osama bin Laden, when he started the leaks in late 2009. Manning said the leaks started the next year.
“Worldwide distribution, that was his goal,” said the military’s lead prosecutor, Major Ashden Fein. “Manning knew the entire world included the enemy, from his training. He knew he was giving it to the enemy, specifically Al Qaeda.”
Manning also faces federal espionage, theft, and computer fraud charges. The Crescent, Okla., native has acknowledged giving WikiLeaks some 700,000 battlefield reports, diplomatic cables, and videos. But he says he did not believe the information would harm troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.