Pfc Manning pleads guilty to some charges

The American soldier accused of leaking secret documents to Wikileaks pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 charges against him. He however denied the most serious charge – aiding the enemy – which carries a potential life sentence. Pfc Bradley Manning, 25, told a military court he divulged documents to Wikileaks to spark public debate about US military action. He said he had previously tried to contact the Washington Post and the New York Times but was unsuccessful. Appearing in uniform before the court, Manning said, “I thought these cables were a prime example of the need for a more open diplomacy.” He is accused of sending out thousands of battlefield reports from Afghanistan and Iraq, 250,000 diplomatic cables, and other confidential information while he was based in Baghdad. He said he was shocked at discovering video of an aerial combat mission in Iraq that shot down two Reuters news agency employees. If found guilty, he faces 20 years in prison.

Read the full story on CNN. 

Additional details are on the BBC.