Feds Hunting Wikileaker's Accomplices

They think he must have had civilian helpers
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2010 4:30 PM CDT
Feds Hunting Wikileaker's Accomplices
This undated photo obtained by The Associated Press shows Bradley Manning.   (AP Photo)

Federal investigators say Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning must have had civilian accomplices who helped him turn over Afghan war secrets to Wikileaks, and they've expanded their investigation to find them, reports the Daily Beast. Manning had direct access to classified documents concerning only the Iraq war, and Adrian Lamo, the former hacker who turned him in, said Manning did not possess the computer skills necessary to steal the Afghan war logs on his own.

Justice Department officials confirmed that it is looking into suspects who might have aided Manning, particularly in linking him up with Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks. A criminal prosecution of Manning or individuals linked to him will be complicated, however, by overlap with the military justice system. Manning awaits the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing, where he will enter a plea to charges of transferring classified data, for which he could get up to 50 years in prison.
(More WikiLeaks stories.)

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