Bradley Manning: US soldier cleared of aiding the enemy in WikiLeaks case

A military judge has cleared US soldier Bradley Manning of aiding the enemy, the most serious charge he faced for passing documents to WikiLeaks. Despite being acquitted of the most serious charge he faced, the 25-year-old was found guilty of 19 of the other 20 criminal counts, in the biggest breach of classified information in the nation's history.

The US government has been pushing for the maximum penalty for the intelligence analyst's leaking of information that included battlefield reports from Iraq and Afghanistan.

It viewed the action as a serious breach of national security, while anti-secrecy activists praised it as shining a light on the country's operations abroad.

Manning, who early this year pleaded guilty to lesser charges that carried a 20-year sentence, will still be looking at a long prison term when the trial's sentencing phase gets under way on Wednesday. Report by Sophie Foster.

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Bradley Manning: US soldier cleared of aiding the enemy in WikiLeaks case