Prosecuters pursuing Private Bradley Manning for allegedly leaking harmful information to the WikilLeaks website and “aiding the enemy”, will be allowed to bring to the stand one of the Navy Seals who took part in the mission that killed Osama bin Laden, a military judge ruled in a pre-trial hearing in Maryland.
The witness, however, will be disguised and will give his testimony from a secret location. Prosecutors told the hearing the witness collected digital evidence at the compound of the al-Qa’ida leader showing that documents allegedly leaked by Manning made their way to him.
Colonel Denise Lind, who will preside when the trial starts on 3 June, dismissed efforts by the defence to have the Seal’s testimony disallowed. Manning pleaded guilty to lesser charges against him in February.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies