FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning betrayed his country's trust and spilled government secrets to make a name for himself, and he knew the material would be seen by al-Qaida, including its former leader Osama bin Laden, prosecutors said Thursday in closing arguments.
Maj. Ashden Fein said Manning abused his trust as an intelligence analyst in Iraq and was not the troubled and naive soldier defense attorneys have made him about to be. Fein displayed a smiling photo of Manning from 2010 — about the time he gave sensitive material to WikiLeaks — and said "this is a gleeful, grinning Pfc. Manning" who sent battlefield reports to WikiLeaks, accompanied by the message: "Have a good day."
Manning is charged with aiding the enemy, which carries a possible sentence of up to life in prison. His defense attorneys have argued there was no evidence he knew al-Qaida looked specifically at the anti-secrecy website.
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