STICKY WIKI

A US intelligence analyst and alleged Wikileaks source, Bradley Manning, has been arrested while serving in Iraq and shipped to a US military prison in Kuwait, where he has been held for three weeks without charge. Manning allegedly leaked the infamous ‘Collateral Murder’ video showing a 2007 US helicopter strike as well as as-yet unseen footage of the 2009 Garani massacre in Afghanistan which killed over 100 people – mostly children. It is also claimed that he leaked 260,000 diplomatic cables, which Manning reportedly said would expose “almost criminal political back dealings” and “how the first world exploits the third, in detail”.

Wikileaks have rather cagily said claims they are in possession of the cables are “as far as we can tell, incorrect” but admitted they are working on the release of footage of the airstrike on the village of Garani.

The ‘Collateral Murder’ video, which showed US Apache helicopters gunning down 12 Iraqis and two Reuters journalists, caused a media storm when it was released in April. Wikileaks have said they don’t know if Manning leaked the video as they keep never collect records on sources, but that if he did then he is a “National hero.”

The whistleblowing while they work Wikileaks have been earmarked as a major threat to US ‘national security’. In 2008, Wikileaks released a classified US Army Counterintelligence Centre discussing ways to bring down the FOI champions. The report said, “successful identification, prosecution, termination of employment, and exposure of persons leaking the information by the governments and businesses affected by information posted to Wikileaks.org would damage and potentially destroy this centre of gravity and deter others from taking similar actions”. With Manning now on the verge of being fitted for an orange jumpsuit, it seems this is exactly what has happened.

Following the arrest, Wikileaks founder Justin Assange went into hiding, and although he has now surfaced, he still won’t travel to the US for fear of arrest.

Wikileaks have now sent a three man legal team to Kuwait to fight Manning’s corner but have so far been denied access. They are appealing for people to get involved and support Wikileaks by setting up local “Friends of Wikileaks” groups.

Email friends@sunshinepress.org for instructions.