VIDEO: Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy

July 30, 2013 1:00 pm • Last Updated: July 30, 2013 11:50 pm

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, left, is escorted to a security vehicle outside of a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Monday, July 29, 2013, after the third day of deliberations in his court martial. Manning was acquitted of aiding the enemy after admittedly sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents and some battlefield video to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq.

FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning has been acquitted of aiding the enemy for giving classified secrets to WikiLeaks.

The military judge hearing the case, Army Col. Denise Lind, announced the verdict Tuesday. The charge was the most serious of 21 counts. It carried a possible life sentence without parole.

Manning was convicted of five espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions.

Manning's sentencing hearing is set to begin Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Crescent, Okla., native acknowledged giving the anti-secrecy website hundreds of thousands of battlefield reports, diplomatic cables and videos in early 2010.

Manning said he didn't believe the information would harm troops in Afghanistan and Iraq or threaten national security.

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