Alleged Wikileaks Leaker Arrested
Wired reports that authorities have arrested a military intelligence analyst who had boasted that he leaked two videos, an intelligence report on Wikileaks, and hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables to Wikileaks.
Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks, Wired.com has learned.
SPC Bradley Manning, 22, of Potomac, Maryland, was stationed at Forward Operating Base Hammer, 40 miles east of Baghdad, where he was arrested nearly two weeks ago by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. A family member says he’s being held in custody in Kuwait, and has not been formally charged.
Manning was turned in late last month by a former computer hacker with whom he spoke online. In the course of their chats, Manning took credit for leaking a headline-making video of a helicopter attack that Wikileaks posted online in April. The video showed a deadly 2007 U.S. helicopter air strike in Baghdad that claimed the lives of several innocent civilians.
He said he also leaked three other items to Wikileaks: a separate video showing the notorious 2009 Garani air strike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has previously acknowledged is in its possession; a classified Army document evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat, which the site posted in March; and a previously unreported breach consisting of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables that Manning described as exposing “almost criminal political back dealings.”
“Hillary Clinton, and several thousand diplomats around the world are going to have a heart attack when they wake up one morning, and find an entire repository of classified foreign policy is available, in searchable format, to the public,” Manning wrote.
Wikileaks, however, says it can’t confirm that Manning was the guy who leaked to them, and says they don’t think they have the 260,000 cables.
We never collect personal information on our sources, so we are are unable as yet to confirm the Manning story.
Allegations in Wired that we have been sent 260,000 classified US embassy cables are, as far as we can tell, incorrect.
Which ought to make things interesting. The military is likely to be most interested in learning how the encryption on the video(s) was broken–and whether Wikileaks allegedly got that from Manning or not. That, plus I would imagine they’re interested in breaking Wikileaks’ own code to prevent any further leaking. But if Manning’s telling stories about what he leaked to Wikileaks, it might mean he’s not the guy–or the only guy–who leaked this.
Good morning, EW.
What do you suppose Manning will be charged with?
Certainly the military and “our” government will have to make as much capital on Manning’s offenses as possible.
Will it be considered treason?
This is a “little” non-corporate “person”, after all, for whom the full weight of the “rule of law” will apply..
Will they throw the “book” at him?
There will certainly be much outraged patriotism unleashed.
Will there be deeper questions, which arise from this incident?
Silly me.
DW
Wouldn’t it be cool, if the truth really did set us free? What a concept.
ot Important
Ctuttle just put this up at Seminal
Iran Red Crescent to send two aid ships to Gaza
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/53303
Is SPC Bradley Manning the new Daniel Ellsberg?
Wikileaks accessing the new Pentagon Papers
Speaking of WikiLeaks and Wired, check this out from WikiLeaks Twitter feed just an hour ago:
http://twitter.com/wikileaks/statuses/15624063923
I fear that Mr. Manning may be closer to Morechai Vanunu than Ellsberg. He can look forward to spending some time in Fort Leavenworth.
Mordechai one of my heroes. Ellsberg got out of spending any time behind bars for sharing the truth with the world.
Prof Cole hits another home run
http://www.juancole.com/2010/06/israel-names-peace-worker-as-terrorist.html#comment-5522
“By the way, one of the musicians now boycotting Israel is Gil Scott-Heron, who performed the classic “The Revolution will Not be Televised.” What he did not realize was that it couldn’t be televised because the Israeli navy jammed the signals.
But back to the serious. The tendency of the modern national security state is to recategorize peace work as a form of terrorism, and the Bush administration placed many peace workers on the no-fly list.
The implication of the Israeli government that a corps of ‘trained terrorists’ pre-planned an assault on the Israeli troops that illegally boarded their vessel in international waters is rejected by all the eyewitnesses.
A kind reader pointed out that Israeli troops and the Israeli authorities have now admitted to firing bullets at the deck of the Mavi Marmara before the commandos landed, and I think the evidence is that these bullets wounded some passengers and provoked the resistance to the landing.”
I have always considered Vanunu what Eric Bogle calls “A forgotten hero, of a forgotten war. “. My paranoid mind says that Israel is so concerned about their muclear capacity they consciously downplay any reference to it – more important, they ensure it is downplayed. Mordechai who?
As for the ships being filled with graduates of terrorists schools (did they go to The School of the Americas, or bin Layden Finishing?) I heard (no link, sorry) that this claim had been retracted.
Mordechai is a peace hero
http://www.peaceheroes.com/MordecaiVanunu/mvanunu.htm
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=17923
Sorry Leen – my comment was intended to show that Vanunu has been what appears to me, to be deliberately, ignored by the ‘press’. I am well aware of the his brave stand. I am also constantly aware of the decades he has been kept in lockups, jails and general incarceration by a spiteful state.
The suppression of Wikileaks proves we live in a police state. We can assume every website, tee vee, radio show, and newspaper is monitored by neo-con secret police. We can also speculate what black ops are directed against the anti-war American people just as during the Vietnam.
The attack in Afghanistan was a war crime. Murdering civilians is the policy in Afghanistan because that maintains the war machine. How many more war atrocities are not released? Actually, it is not war, it is corporate murder, genocide.
Whatever Manning’s story is, we need more people to reveal this never ending nightmare given to us by neo-con monsters.
Manning is a young man with a conscience. Can you imagine what is going to happen to this kid?
Hope Ellsberg hops on his truth bus. He is going to need some hot shot attorneys an arsenal of them.
O/T emptywheel cited by Craig Murray
US Kills 35 Women and Children in the Yemen; 6/7/10
Heh, not to nitpick with Mr. Murray, but I think this post of mine is the one that uses the any person, anywhere, any time language even though Marcy is making the same point using different phrases.
Sorry, Jim. You’re right, and I didn’t pick up on that, but should have. [I do think it’s really great that he seems to be reading both Marcy and you.]
I just can’t seem to even keep up.
Murray link:
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/06/us_kills_35_wom.html
And now there is Ambinder:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/06/main-wikileaks-source-outed-war-of-tweets-results/57753/
“He said he also leaked three other items to Wikileaks: a separate video showing the notorious 2009 Garani air strike in Afghanistan that Wikileaks has previously acknowledged is in its possession; a classified Army document evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat, which the site posted in March; and a previously unreported breach consisting of 260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables that Manning described as exposing “almost criminal political back dealings.”
“evaluating Wikileaks as a security threat”
—————————————-
Yeah you can’t have any real live coverage or photos of the dead, injured, displaced in Iraq or Afghanistan. Hell the MSM has basically gone along with that program. You can flip to CNN, MSNBC, Fox etc and not hear a mention of the deaths in Iraq, the accumulated numbers forget any live coverage of the death and destruction. In fact forget even hearing anything about what is going on over there. The Gulf of Mexico oil has covered all of that coverage over. Well come to think of it Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews (the last time Chris Matthews went into Walter Reed was four years ago) and the rest have not gone in depth to what is taking place in Iraq, Afghanistan etc for a very long time. I guess if CNN or the MSNBC start showing the American people what is and has gone on they will be considered “security threat” also.
What did the military, our government learn from Vietnam? Don’t show the Americans pictures or live coverage of the death and destruction that is being done in their name and with their money.
Wikileaks is doing just that
Oh and lets not forget the MSM did not even whisper about the Winter soldier Hearings
http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier
* Winter Soldier Broadcast Quality Recordings
* Winter Soldier Audio Archives at warcomeshome.org (a project of KPFA)
* Winter Soldier Media Coverage and Press Information
* Winter Soldier Liveblog
* Winter Soldier on the Hill (May 15th) on CSPAN
* Winter Soldier on the Hill (May 15th) audio from KPFA
* Winter Soldier on the Hill PBS NewsHour coverage
* Winter Soldier on the Hill
Wikileaks is saying that the Washington Post had the video for more than a year. Raw Story
And right now Diane Rehm is doing a show on the WAshington Post. That would be a good question. Although I all ready sent this one in
The Washington Post was very much part of the “groupthink” that took place in the MSm in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. What does Katherine think about the Washington Post coverage of the Bush administrations public relations campaign in the run up to that invasion?
Also Many believe the WAshington Post has roadblocks that are solid and in place in regard to reporting in an honest and balanced way having to do with the Israeli Palestinian conflict?
What can Katherine say about those widely held views?
O/T. Shall we clink our coffee mugs and tea cups together in unison?
Gonzo Asking For Donations To Cover Legal Bills, Still Looking For Book Publisher
LINK.
Hope someone starts some money raising for legal coverage for Manning. That I would donate to
We’ll have to see how this turns out.
One thing I am certain of is that Manning will be pursued as vigorously as the leakers of Valerie Plame’s identity.
I am sure we will not see the old principle of “leakers that help us are ok, leakers that don’t aren’t.”
no snark tags? I assume you mean that since Bush was as eager to find the Plame leakers as OJ was to find the killer of his ex-wife, you mean to imply Manning will not be pursued at all. We both know that won’t hold here.
Libby stonewalled the investigations of Plame’s CIA affiliation leak with Libby Lies (and it worked, although I still see a pair of glasses peaking out from behind Libby, and the black cloud hovering over his head gives him away) I assume you think the investigation was “vigorous.” Silly you.
No, I meant your average Joe or Jane.
The guiding principle seems to be “if your leak helps my cause, I’m all for leaks. If your leak hurts my cause, man, I’ve got to shut you down.”
The nice thing is that it is multi-directional, 3 dimensional, omni present, respects no borders, regards no philosophy, subscribes to no party and is about as equal opportunity as something comes.
The high, the low, the left, the right, the “principled” and the unprincipled seem to like it tremendously. It’s a life vest in an ocean of action and the users will cling to it like the floating piece of furniture in Titanic–the movie.
You will have to define “us” better, because if by “us” you mean the politically connected and powerful, then I think that your last sentence is exactly the principle that we will see.
Manning is more deserving of a medal than an indictment. He’ll be pursued with a lot more vigor then the PHR report. In fact, I bet DOJ will be so busy with Manning that the PHR report will have to wait.
Boxturtle (That PHR report won’t even generate a sternly worded letter)
Motto: “Just ignore it and it’ll go away.”
I know it’s naive, but I’d like to see a fair and open trial, and if convicted, a pardon/commutation. Let’s see if the prosecution can take the heat.
FWIW, but kinda related. Interesting disclaimer.
DOD Announces First U.S. Cyber Command and First U.S. CYBERCOM Commander
“The command is charged with pulling together existing cyberspace resources, creating synergy that does not currently exist and synchronizing war-fighting effects to defend the DoD information security environment. This is not an expansion of DoD’s mission.”
LINK.
Right, because they were already doing it, just not openly.
If someone or blog raises money for Mannings defense will that person or the blog be categorized as a terrorist organization?
OT – Via Judicial Watch:
There are 6 CIA Congressional Briefing PDFs at the above link.
Are you looking at them? Please advise of anything interesting you find if so.
Yeah, I’m looking, but the first PDF itself is 100 pages in length!
And not having EW’s SuperGlue memory, I doubt whether I’ll catch all of the subtle connections that would be obvious to her.
But I’m gonna give it the old college try. *g*
Most appreciated, we both are a bit tied up right this minute.
Please, somebody, make it stop.
US Plans Manned ‘Drones’ to Avoid Legal Ramifications
“The faceless, nameless, war on terror may soon see manned drones hunting the bad guys down in the lawless tribal lands of northwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.”
LINK.
Those are called “planes” right?
Yeah. Way over-budget and long past any reasonable deadlines, BART finally started rolling in the SF Bay Area in 1972. No “conductors” were needed on the high-speed, electric and computerized trains. Commuters balked at riding without someone being at the “controls,” so people were hired, dressed up in crisp BART uniforms, complete with caps and all, and stationed in the front cars to reassure us. It was all very amusing. These “manned drones” most certainly are not–and the name change is a reminder of just how frightening the world’s situation is when people who just don’t get it are in charge.
That is the “plane” truth, fatster.
DW
It’s become quite trendy.
Afghan Warlords Gain U.S. Funding by Rebranding as “Private Security Companies”
“Willing to secure local domains and fight alongside Western forces, many of Afghanistan’s warlords are paid by U.S. and NATO commanders as “private security” businesses—even though these arrangements are threatening to undermine the West’s mission of establishing democracy in the country.”
Perhaps they’ll be the men in the drones?
LINK.
A contractor is a contractor.
“Rebranding” is what free enterprise and freedom are all about.
Therefore we can now declare VICTORY! And.stay.there.forever.
(We didn’t spend as this money and “treasure” to turn tail and leave, did we?)
Ain’t this endless war stuff just like the cat’s litter box, at the end of the week?
DW
Not ‘hang gliders’, I take it.
Went to the top of the page to look for the Onion logo. Does the dummy get to drive or only shoot?
And does the dummy get a ‘chute?
Secrecy and democratic rule are totally incompatible. Period. So the real treasonous bastards are the ones perpetuating the national security state.
Bingo!!!
DW
also incompatible is an institutionalized political class.
What a dick this Adrian Lamo dude is.
Meanwhile 10 NATO soldiers (7 Americans) killed today in Afghanistan.