Bradley Manning on trial: LIVE UPDATES

3 Jun, 2013 13:08 / Updated 11 years ago

US Army Private Bradley Manning faces trial more than three years after his arrest for transmitting 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks. The US is pursuing further charges of aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence.

02:00 GMT: The heaviest charge faced by Manning is aiding the enemy, and on Monday the prosecution moved to make that case after Army Colonel Denise Lind, the military judge overseeing the case, allowed the team to argue that the whistleblower had used a “most wanted list” of leaks compiled by WikiLeaks as a guide for leaking classified information. That evidence was admitted after Lind ruled the list was relevant to the charge of aiding the enemy.

According to the AP, the prosecution’s final witness in its case against Manning was a Defense Intelligence Agency counterintelligence official. That witness was the 28th produced by the prosecution since the trial began on June 3.

Manning is charged with 21 offenses, with aiding the enemy carrying a potential life sentence. Prosecutors must prove that Manning, violating military rules, released intelligence knowing that it could be widely distributed and seen by al-Qaeda.

On Monday the prosecution presented a 2011 video in which Adam Gadahn, an American member of al-Qaeda, specifically refers to materials published by WikiLeaks and provided by Manning. Prosecutors also presented excerpts from a winter 2010 issue of al-Qaeda's online magazine Inspire, which said "anything useful from WikiLeaks is useful for archiving."

Tuesday July 2

Read the full story on Day 1 here 

Read the full story on Day 2 here

Read the full story on Day 3 here

14:36 GMT: Military judge Col. Denise Lind has ruled that WikiLeaks tweets referring to classified material are relevant circumstantial evidence that Bradley Manning had been ‘aiding the enemy’, because they show that he might have known about WikiLeaks’ plan to post classified info. 

Judge accepts 2 @wikileaks tweets for ID, says they're relevant circumstantial evidence to "aiding the enemy" charge against #Manning

— Nathan Fuller (@nathanLfuller) June 28, 2013



In what have been dubbed ‘supercomputer’ tweets, WikiLeaks said they had an encrypted video of bomb strikes of civilians and they needed a supercomputer to decrypt them.

Have encrypted videos of US bomb strikes on civilians http://bit.ly/wlafghan2 we need super computer time http://ljsf.org/

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 8, 2010


Friday June 28

19:30 GMT: Manning’s lawyers provided the court with evidence that Manning did not reveal classified information in the leaked “Collateral Murder” video from Iraq, contrary to the government’s assertion. The military judge, Army Col. Denise Lind took judicial notice: a preliminary step towards admitting evidence.

The video in question depicted a 2007 US helicopter attack in Baghdad in which at least eight people were killed, including a Reuters photographer. The document presented to the courtroom was an assessment by a former US Central Command official that the video should be unclassified, going directly against prosecution’s assertion that the video was revelatory of military tactics and procedures.

Manning had acknowledged his role in Wikileaks obtaining the video but denied revealing national defense material.

Thursday June 27

18:00 GMT: A former state department official testified that a soldier of Manning's level would have had unrestricted access to the cables. Prosecution alleges he stole the cables which revealed embarrassing details. State Department officials said the revelations endangered lives, while Manning maintains that the cables exposed US hypocrisy and suggested a role in Tunisiuan instability which contributed to Arab Spring uprisings.

Wednesday June 26


18:00 GMT:
Manning engaged in email discussions with Wikileaks' founder, specifically regarding a  video of an Apache gunship attack, according to Johnson, the government computer analyst.

The video of the Apache attack was shown to the courtroom. The gunsight video from July 2007 documents an attack on Iraqi civilians in which 12 people were killed, including two Reuters journalists.

Johnson said that Manning's communications with Assange included the exchange of classified government data about Army activities in Iraq and State Department cables. Chat logs with one of Assange's pseudonyms, "Nathaniel Frank," were retrieved. Johnson also testified he found no evidence of a Wikileaks 'Most Wanted List' on Manning's computer.

Prosecution objected to their own forensic examiner's report at one point, saying it was hearsay, and were overruled by the Judge. 

USG didn't like testimony of OWN forensic examiner, who's DESTROYING case for #Garani, so OBJECTED to admission of his FORENSIC RPT by def.

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 12, 2013


13:30 GMT: The Apache helicopter pilot from the "Collateral Murder" video is expected to testify today, as is forensic analyst Mark Johnson, who is the first witness.

Here in Ft. Meade for day 6 of #Manning trial. On deck today: More forensic analysis and testimony from Apache helicopter pilot

— Liz Wahl (@lizwahl) June 12, 2013

Monday, June 10

22:45 GMT: National Security Agency contractor Steven Buchanan testified on Monday that computer “audit logs” indicated Manning had “successfully accessed” secret interlink data in 2009 and 2012.

As with David Shaver’s testimony, Buchanan’s testimony is forming the basis of linking Manning as the orchestrator behind the release of classified documents, including secret diplomatic cables.

In order to bolster the prosecution’s case against Manning of “aiding the enemy,” the most serious charge, it will have to prove that Manning had reason to believe leaking information would hurt US national security.

19:20 GMT:

We are about to hear the USG read stipulations of expected testimony (a stack of them) into the Court record. #Manning

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 10, 2013


19:15: Manning trial is now resuming.

18:50 GMT:

Manning trial STILL in recess. Just informed there is a tornado watch here.

— Liz Wahl (@lizwahl) June 10, 2013


16:30 GMT: Manning trial now in recess.

16:15 GMT:

Score for the defense this morning-- aggressive cross of Shaver (Agent) and Madaras(Co-Worker) just ripped upart 1030(a)(1) CFAA #Manning

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 10, 2013

16:00 GMT: Chad Madaras, who served in the 2nd Brigrade 10th Mountain division alongside Manning, also took the stand. Madaras said everyone in their in their Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) used mIRC, a chat program Manning said he had used. He continued that various media were on the shared drive which all of the analysts had access to, raising doubts over the government’s claims that Manning had “exceeded authorized access” by adding programs he wasn’t allowed to have. He continued that it was not prohibited to use SIPRNet to make worldwide searches which extended beyond the mission’s scope, calling into question whether Manning’s each of the State Department diplomatic database was in fact a violation.

He also confirmed that it wasn’t prohibited to explore the SIPRNet, the Secret-level, military-wide internet, for other regions of the world beyond mission scope. Bradley perused the State Department diplomatic database, and while others may not have done so, it hasn’t been established that this was a violation.

Shaver confirmed much of what gov't has been saying: #Manning searched for #WikiLeaks, Assange, Iceland. 1st search for WL: 1 December, 2009

— Nathan Fuller (@nathanLfuller) June 10, 2013

15:30 GMT: David Shaver, head of forensic investigations for the Army Criminal Investigations Unit, once again took the stand and will likely be called back to outline the investigation of Manning’s computer. Today he delivered testimony regarding Manning’s searches on Interlink, Bradley Manning.org reports.

He further testified that Manning had searched for “WikiLeaks,’ ‘Julian Assange’ and ‘Iceland’ on multiple occasions starting on December 2009. In his searches for WikiLeaks, Manning reportedly came across the Army’s 2008 Counterintelligence Special Report, but Shaver was only able to confirm he had successfully reached the report once.

Shaver further said on March 7, 2010, Manning downloaded 700 assessment briefs on Guantanamo Detainees.

15:00 GMT: The Bradley Manning trial resumed on Monday morning, with Steve Buchanan, a contractor for the National Security Agency taking the stand. Buchanan has training relevant to Interlink, the web-based search engine which allows people to find unclassified, secret and top secret information on the secret network known as SIPRnet, which contains the files Manning allegedly handed over to WikiLeaks. Buchanan’s testimony is intended to authenticate evidence that Manning in fact searched for the information he has been charged with disclosing.

14:30 GMT:

Second week of #Manning trial begins now. Forensic analysts set to testify today

— Liz Wahl (@lizwahl) June 10, 2013


13:16 GMT:

Witness Order: Mr. Buchanan (Stip of Testimony) Mr. Shaver CCIU (Live) Mr. Mander CCIU re WikiLeaks Organization (Live) #Manning (con't)

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) 10 июня 2013 г.

12:30 GMT: The Bradley Manning trail will resume on Monday at Fort Meade, near Baltimore. During the second week of hearings, the court will shift to the specific items the US Army private forwarded to WikiLeaks.

The prosecution’s lineup for the day will include two witnesses familiar with video of a US airstrike in Afghanistan that killed at least 26 civilians in 2009.  Manning has confirmed that he sent the video to WikiLeaks from Iraq in spring 2010, but the footage was never posted online.

Wednesday, June 5

19:10 GMT: Court is in recess until Monday June 10. Special Agent Shaver will be called back and Mark Mander will be testifying next week.

Manning's defense lawyer Coombs established through Fulton's testimony that she [Fulton] did not know of a website visited frequented specifically by insurgents and terrorists at the time. However, she mentioned Facebook, Google, and Google Maps as possible sources. Fulton did not mention Wikileaks as a known source of intelligence for either insurgents or terrorists.

Keep in mind Fulton was the 2nd highest ranking Intel officer in the 2 BCT, 10 MTN, under CPT Steven Lim. #Manning

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 5, 2013


Manning's computer prowess has been held in high regard throughout the day. It was additionally established by Coombs that out that Manning's usage of SIPRnet would have been actively encouraged for the purposes of 'professional development.'

18:20 GMT:
Court is rejoining after a 10-minute break.

18:25 GMT:
Hack stated in his testimony that although Manning was a junior analyst, he appeared more organized than his higher level, more experienced counterparts - if not the most organized soldier -  he'd ever seen.

Defense put effort into establishing that the S2 section which Manning served in was not providing enough of the required actionalble intelligence to the targeting section. Hack stated that Manning was not personally responsible.

Hack's testimony reinforces that the problems in S2 [Intelligence] Section were widespread. #Manning

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 5, 2013

17:45 GMT: Immunity for particular witnesses had been discussed in a pre-trial session. It was suggested that Kyle Balonek would be one.

I was right.Balonek got immunity. #Manning Back in.

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 5, 2013

17:30 GMT:  Chief Warrant Officer Three, Hondo Hack, and Captain Casey Fulton are both expected to take the witness stand this afternoon.


It was written in the defense requests for Article 32 witnesses that Hack was to testify regarding comments made to him by Showman about Manning's attitude and personal problems. The request stated that he "decided to counsel PFC Manning for about 45-60 minutes and referred him to Mental Health for evaluation. He will testify that could not recall if the referral was command directed or if Manning volunteered."

In defense requests for Article 32 witnesses, Captain Casey Fulton's name also came up.

She was to confirm the identity of the person supervising the soldiers in the S2 section –presumably Showman– and that she was “in charge of the administrative details.” Fulton was to testify that she was “made aware of issues surrounding PFC Manning” and that in her opinion, Manning should have been removed early on in the deployment. However, she felt that the leadership within the S2 section was not really concerned with disciplining Soldiers.

16:00 GMT: Court is in lunch recess and will reconvene in the afternoon. Kyle Balonek, one of Manning's army colleagues, has been giving statements. Discussion focused on Manning's access to vast pools of data, with prosecution trying to discern whether Manning was 'selective' in his publication of certain documents.

Defense established that Manning had been authorized to download SIPRnet documents, while prosecution alleged that manning had been 'hiding' his downloading of them, according to Alexa O'Brien's records.

Balonek joined the army in 2002, and was deployed to Iraq in 2003, and again in 2005 and 2006, later being promoted through the ranks. He was a senior intelligence analyst in Manning's unit.

14:30 GMT:
Jihrleah Showman finished her testimony, without her 2010 confrontation with Manning being discussed. She reportedly labelled him as being "on the extreme democratic side."

She also confirmed that there had been no rules in place on what Manning and his colleagues could research on the Siprnet network, and despite stating his thirst for political debate, she didn't recall discussing the appropriacy of the 'Collateral Murder' crew's actions with him.

13:30 GMT:
The court goes back into session for the third day of Private Bradley Manning's trial. The first witness will be Manning's ex-army supervisor, former military specialist Jihrleah Showman, followed by his fellow soldiers.

Screenshot of former Specialist Jihrleah Showman's tweet , September 12, 2012. #Manningtwitter.com/carwinb/status…

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 5, 2013

Manning and Showman got into a heated confrontation in 2010, during which Manning punched his superior.

1:49 GMT:
The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a project funded by the group behind Mother Jones magazine, has crowd-funded the services of a professional stenographer to cover Bradley Manning’s trial, as the US military so far has declined to release transcripts. The organization has now posted the records for the second day (am session, pm session) of the Manning trial, a project which it says may ultimately end up costing anywhere from $60,000-120,000.

Tuesday, June 4

23:31 GMT: An image purported to be a noose made by Bradley Manning while he contemplated suicide has begun circulating on Twitter. During pretrial testimony in 2012, Manning acknowledged that he had constructed a noose while being held in Kuwait in May of 2010.

Army photo of the bedsheet noose Bradley Manning made after his arrest. twitter.com/kpoulsen/statu…

— Kevin Poulsen (@kpoulsen) June 4, 2013

According to Manning, once he was transferred to a brig at Quantico in Virginia in July of 2010, he wrote on his intake form that he was "always planning and never acting” on suicidal thoughts. He was held at that facility for nine months. In 2012, Colonel Robert Oltman, one of two officers managing that brig, acknowledged receiving an email from a US military lawyer using a Dr Seuss children’s poem to make light of Manning’s forced nudity, which was enforced nightly after Manning made a comment to a guard that if he wanted to kill himself, he could use the waistband of his underwear to hang himself.

20:49 GMT: The attention surrounding Bradley Manning’s trial has attracted A-list American celebrities and respected US journalists to the whistleblower’s cause. The “I Am Bradley Manning” campaign, which also boasts Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg among its ranks, pushes viewers to consider if they themselves would release video footage of soldiers committing atrocities in the field of combat in an attempt to stop the carnage.

Actors Russell Brand, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Wallace Shawn joined Oliver Stone, Rage Against the Machine Guitarist Tom Morello, journalists Chris Hedges, Matt Taibbi, and a slew of others in a short trailer devoted to bringing attention to the punishment Manning is up against and the nature of the actions that landed him there.  

“If you saw incredible things, awful things, things that belonged in the public domain and not in some server stored in a dark room in Washington,” each advocate says in the campaign trailer, “What would you do?”


19:40 GMT: Lamo tweeted that his "work here is done."

My work here is done. Elsewhere, just beginning. twitter.com/6/status/34198…

— Adrian Lamo (@6) June 4, 2013


18:40 GMT:
Shaver was called to the witness stand again, later being joined by Troy Moul.

Shaver said that Adrian Lamo compiled his chats with Bradley Manning into a file, saved on his computer as "Brad_confession." The chats, which took place over a series of days had originally been saved separately.

Moul taught Manning in the army. His testimony focused predominantly on  what Manning learned about terrorists and counterterrorism under him, as well as Operational Security.

"I had never even heard the term WikiLeaks until I was informed that the accused had been arrested,"
he said.

Those expected to testify later include Brian Madrid, Sgt Robert Thomas, Sgt. Alejandro Marin, and Sgt First Class Jose Anica.

15:40 GMT:
Day two of Manning's court-martial is breaking for a two hour lunch, following testimonies from three of the prosecution's witnesses.

"He broke Adrian" - one eyewitness describes the defense attorney for Bradley Manning after cross-examining Adrian Lamo.

— RT America (@RT_America) June 4, 2013

What was weirdly missing from examination of permanently excused Lamo was testimony concerning Jason Katz. #Garani#Manning

— Alexa O'Brien (@carwinb) June 4, 2013


15:17 GMT: The court is back in session.

15:05 GMT: Many lines from the May 2010 chat logs were confirmed by Lamo, when questioned by Coombs, including parts that stated that Manning was a humanist, and had entered communications with Assange. He also recognized that Manning had not indicated a desire to help the enemy.  RT's Andrew Blake reported the following conversation:

Coombs: At any time did he say he had no loyalty to America?
Lamo: Not in those words, no.
Coombs: At anytime did he say the American flag didn’t mean anything to him?
Lamo: No.

The court is in brief recess and Lamo has been permanently excused as a witness. Witnesses in court reported that several people cried during questioning.

#Manning day 2 gets very emotional today. Some inside courtroom with tears in their eyes during Adrian Lamo testimony.

— Adriana Usero(@AdriUsero) June 4, 2013


15:00 GMT: Lamo was called to the stand at 10:26am local time (14:26 GMT). The government objected to defense cross examination at least four times over the questions asked, citing hearsay. Defense had Lamo answer questions as to the mental state he perceived Manning to be in during the May 2010 chats.

Lamo just finished testifying. Chilling watching him walk off the stand and pass Bradley Manning.

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) June 4, 2013

When Lamo was asked about Manning's desire to investigate the truth, Lamo responded that it was "something that I could appreciate." RT's Blake from the courtroom stated that Lamo was very thorough with his responses, but appeared nervous at times when asked about some parts of the chat logs.

Prosecution questioned Lamo about keeping computers on his person.

"Computer geeks don’t always leave the house much," said Lamo. Coombs smirked.

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) June 4, 2013

14:35 GMT: Yesterday, Manning's aunt and cousin were spectators in the courtroom, but today he has no family there, according to Al Jazeera's Camille Elhassani. 

14:20 GMT:
10 minute recess is over. Lamo is expected to take the stand shortly.

14:10 GMT:
Court is in recess

The defense cross-examined the second witness, asking if they "were also looking for something that expressed a hatred of America [on Manning's computer]?" The reply was that nothing was found. They also noted that they found no evidence that Manning was "sympathetic with terrorists."

13:50 GMT: The first witness, Shaver, finished after around 15 minutes. Discussion focused on his credentials as a witness, and computer forensics.

Shaver testified as an expert in computer forensics analysis, who began working for US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CCIU) in 1999, and left in 2001. In 2002, he returned to CCIU as a contractor, and was a special agent in charge as of 2005. Johnson cited similar credentials for his expertise. 

Both are among the 141 government witnesses being called up to testify against Manning, and will appear again. The defense has 46 witnesses.

13:30 GMT:
Court is going back into session.

A bearded Adrian Lamo wore jeans, suit coat and black gloves when he got to Ft. Meade this morning for #Manning trial. Third witness today.

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) June 4, 2013

Lamo was the hacker that told Manning, "I’m a journalist and a minister. You can pick either, and treat this as a confession or an interview (never to be published) & enjoy a modicum of legal protection," before exposing him

13:00 GMT:
The witnesses are announced, the first two being military computer forensics experts: Special Agent David Shaver, a member of a computer investigative team for the criminal investigative division, and Mark Johnson, who is also a member of the computer investigations division. Lamo is now also confirmed as a suspect, and the witnesses will appear in that order.

Shaver appeared three times at the Article 32 pretrial hearing on December 18, 19 and 20 in 2011, giving evidence that he did a bit-by-bit forensic analysis of Manning’s computers. Shaver said he found two .csv files containing 100 cables in the ‘Windows Temp’ folder.

12:45 GMT: People begin arriving back at the courtroom. Media attendance is noticeably lower for the second day, with only a few dozen journalists so far – around half as many as the first day of the trial.

Bradley Manning court-martial, day two. The media turnout is roughly one-third of what we saw yesterday. Good job, guys. #Manning

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) June 4, 2013


Adrian Lamo, the hacker who exposed Bradley Manning, is reportedly on site at Fort Meade, but it is currently uncertain whether he will testify today. The prospect is in the cards, according to sources on site.

Despite government resistance, two publicly funded court stenographers will be in attendance to transcribe the entire trial, according to Freedom of the Press Foundation.

These hands are working for you: stenographer who will transcribe #Manning trial thanks to @freedomofpress @jcstearns twitter.com/ArunRath/statu…

— Arun Rath (@ArunRath) June 4, 2013


12:40 GMT:
The trial of Private Bradley Manning enters its second day. Monday’s hearing at the military tribunal at Fort Meade saw statements from the prosecution and defense, and three witnesses. The main focus of debate was Manning’s motive in releasing the information, with the prosecution accusing him of seeking ‘notoriety’ through his actions, and declaring that through WikiLeaks he intended to allow the ‘enemy’ access to classified information. Captain Joe Morrow said that  he “literally dumped that information onto the Internet, into the hands of the enemy.”



However, the defense stated that Manning’s youth at the time of the leak motivated his genuine desire to expose amoral actions by the US Military, saying that he was “young, naive but good-intentioned,” and was additionally selective about what he leaked, having had access to a great many more cables. Manning’s defense lawyer David Coombs spoke of the customized dog tags he wore, branded with the word ‘humanist.’

Monday, June 3

21:23 GMT: Bradley Manning's defense told a US military court that the solider had hoped "to make the world a better place" by releasing classified information to WikiLeaks in the opening day of the trial, which is expected to last months.

19:35 GMT: The court begins to file back in to hear the second witness testimony.

19:25 GMT: Special Agent Tom Smith has finished testifying at the Bradley Manning court-martial. Discussion focused around Smith’s arrival at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Hammer, Iraq, and going through Manning’s bunk. Smith said that he photographed it, and went through his possessions, collecting two SIPRnet computers and a CD from 2007 marked with the words ‘SECRET’ and ‘Reuters FOIA req.’ It is widely thought to be the ‘Collateral Damage’ Apache helicopter video, which showed the gunning down of civilians and a Reuters photographer.  Prosecutors will call the second witness shortly.

19:15 GMT: Defense started cross-examining Smith.

18:38 GMT: Glitches appear to be resolved as people return to the courtroom.

18:30 GMT: Brief recess in Manning court-martial due to technical difficulties in the courtroom. The court transcriber was experiencing audio problems, after which Judge Lind said “we need a verbatim.”

18:30 GMT: The first witness for prosecution has been describing his job. Special Agent Tom Smith describes himself as a “senior enlisted case agent and evidence custodian,” and reports to have investigated some 250 cases, having been the lead agent on around 150 of them.

Early discussion has been focusing on storage of hard drives and computers, with prosecution stating “cameras, paper bags, we gathered tape measures, paper, pen and out computers so that we’d be able to work once we got down there.”

18:03 GMT: USG said that that they have in their possession forensic evidence collected from Manning’s computer, and will place a heavy focus on it. Strong reference has been made to Manning’s arrogance

17:56 GMT: Prosecution alleged that Manning sought notoriety and fame, saying he was driven by arrogance.

17:55 GMT: Bradley Manning court-martial about to be back in session. Three of the prosecution's witnesses are to the stand over the afternoon.

17:47 GMT: Cornel West and Chris Hedges both spent the morning at Ft Meade attending Bradley Manning's court-martial.

17:47 GMT: RT’s website is suffering some technical difficulties.

17:25 GMT: Manning's trial is in recess for an hour for lunch, after which the three witnesses will be called.

17:10 GMT:

Prosecutor Ashden Fein told Judge Lind that 5 journalists were denied press credentials. Actually, 270 were denied. #manning

— Nathan Fuller (@nathanLfuller) 3 июня 2013 г.

16:40 GMT: Defense reiterated that Manning was unsetteled by what he saw, and that “he believed that if the American public saw it they too would be troubled,” going on to add that the country doesn't 'always' do the right thing.

16: 38 GMT:
Manning defense attorney David Coombs has just wrapped up brief opening statements.
Coombs said Manning was ‘selective’ with the documents he released, saying that “he had access to literally hundreds of millions of documents,” stating that he released them “because he was hoping to make the world a better place.”

"He was 22 years old. He was young. He was a little naïve in thinking the information he selected could actually make a difference" #Manning

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) 3 июня 2013 г.

16:17 GMT: The court is back in session to hear defense opening statements. High profile defense attorney David Coombs is expected to make a 40-45 minute opening statement.

16:05 GMT:
The prosecutors stated: “Manning knew the danger of unauthorized disclosure to an organization like Wikileaks and he ignored those dangers," going on to claim that bin Laden requested and received the Afghan War Logs attributed to Pfc. Bradley Manning and published by WikiLeaks.

Prosecutors presented tweets from @wikileaks during opening statements: twitter.com/wikileaks/stat… and twitter.com/wikileaks/stat…#Manning

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) 3 июня 2013 г.


16:00 GMT:
Prosecutors on Manning: "This is a case about what happens when arrogance meets access to sensitive information." Prosecutors opened and closed initial statements with quotes from Manning to Adrian Lamo made during May 2010 online chats.

Manning downloaded State Dept. cables at a rate of 1,000/hour, prosecutors said

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) 3 июня 2013 г.


15:50 GMT:
Nineteen major media organizations have joined together to request the Military District of Washington to “issue two press passes to allow professional court stenographers access to the media room,” in order to ensure that transcriptions of official public parts of the court martial are available to aid the public in assessing the court’s process and decisions. It also suggests that the trial should be broadcast in an “appropriately-sized overflow theater” to allow journalists to effectively report on the trial - over 280 were refused credentials.

15:40 GMT:
The prosecution's Captain Joe Morrow has declared that Bradley Manning dumped classified documents on to the Internet and into enemy hands, according to Associated Press. They also alleged that Manning helped to edit Collateral Murder.

15: 25 GMT:
Prosecutor's opening statement declares that classified information Bradley Manning gave to WikiLeaks fell into enemy hands.

14:45 GMT:
The court reconvenes. Following prosecution and defense statements, the order of the aforementioned three witnesses will be Special Agent Tom Smith, then Special Agent Toni Graham, followed by Manning's former roommate Special Agent Eric Baker.

14:35 GMT:
The court remains undecided over whether the slide show will be used.

14:30 GMT:
Manning judge asks, "What are the procedures that have been put in place for public access to this trial?" to a few chuckles from the media.

14:24 GMT:
The trial has been arranged to take place between the hours of 9:30 am and 6pm local time, every day this week. Time has been put aside for 12 weeks. Space for viewers is expected to remain a problem.

Only room for 16 spectators in the actual Manning courtroom, but the military has viewing accommodations for hundreds on site.

— RT America (@RT_America) 3 июня 2013 г.


14:20 GMT:
A stenographer is posted in the courtroom and is transcribing events. It was previously said that they would not be allowed to be present.

14:15 GMT:
Manning's trial has taken a brief recess after only 20 or so minutes. This will be partly due to the need to debate a slide show that prosecution has proposed using in the opening statements, which will be given after recess.

He is still opting to be tried by Judge Lind as opposed to a military jury.

Govt prepared slide show for opening argument that they didn't let defense see. Judge, defense & govt are in secret conference #Manning

— Kevin Gosztola (@kgosztola) 3 июня 2013 г.



14:55 GMT:
Manning's court martial has started.

13:35 GMT:
At least three witnesses will be called today, including two special agents who inspected the crime scene in Iraq, and Manning's former roommate, Eric Baker, a military police officer. Baker said at the pre-trial that Manning suggested the army wasn't 'for him.'

Dozens of witnesses were expected to take part in the trial, among them a handful of military personnel whose testimonies will be conducted behind closed doors to protect the sensitive nature of Manning’s alleged crimes. Proceedings will begin with a one hour opening statement from prosecution, shortly followed by defense's 45-minute statement.

13:25 GMT: A Wikileaks-branded van pulls up to the courtroom.

13:20 GMT: Demonstrations in support of Manning which exploded over the weekend have continued into the day of the trial, as his allies keep vigil outside in the rain.

Very large media turnout for start of Bradley #Manning trial this AM. And protesters out in force too twitter.com/Edpilkington/s…

— Ed Pilkington (@Edpilkington) 3 июня 2013 г.


13:11 GMT:
Around 350 aimed to secure one of the 70 spaces available to observe the trial. 

All 70 or so seats in the Ft. Meade media center are full as the court-martial of Bradley Manning is finally about to begin.

— Andrew Panda Blake (@apblake) 3 июня 2013 г.

13:00 GMT: Proceedings begin at the trial of Private Bradley Manning. 'Truth' T-shirts are reportedly banned from the courtroom, with their wearers being directed to turn them inside out, as influencing judicial opinion is not allowed.

13:00 GMT: RT starts live updates from the courtroom. RT’s own correspondent, Andrew Blake, is reporting live from Fort Meade.

Manning, 25, has already pleaded guilty to charges of leaking information to the anti-secrecy website, which alone could confine him to prison for 20 years. However, it is a small fraction of the further 21 counts the prosecutors are seeking to convict him on, one of which includes allegedly aiding of the enemy, which he did not believe he was doing. 

The court-martial trial is being held at Fort Meade military base in Baltimore. Military tribunals are frequently held in extremely secretive conditions. He has reportedly opted to have it heard by a judge instead of a jury and the final verdict could take as long as three months to be announced.

Manning stated at a pre-trial hearing in February that the scenes he witnessed left him deeply unsettled.

“The most alarming aspect of the video” was the “seemingly delightful bloodlust the aerial weapons team happened to have,” he said, suggesting the soldiers were akin to children “torturing ants with a magnifying glass.”

Worldwide demonstrations in support of Manning took place over the weekend at Fort Meade, Toronto, Berlin, Paris and even South Korea’s Seoul.