Bradley Manning has told of leaking classified diplomatic reports, along with this secret video, to the whistleblower website Wikileaks.org. (AP Photo)
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — A U.S. Army private accused of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified government documents is thanking supporters for their dedication.
Pfc. Bradley Manning issued a brief statement Tuesday through his lawyer. He said, “I am very grateful for your support and humbled by your ongoing efforts.”
Manning is being court-martialed for allegedly aiding the enemy by causing government secrets to be published on the WikiLeaks website.
Supporters regard the 24-year-old Oklahoma native as a heroic whistleblower who exposed war crimes and U.S. hypocrisy.
Nearly two dozen supporters attended his three-day, pretrial hearing last week at Fort Meade, Md. Some wore black t-shirts bearing a single word, “truth.”
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
