Wired News senior editor (and former hacker) Kevin Poulsen and reporter Kim Zetter have unveiled the identity of an Army intelligence analyst arrested over charges that he provided Wikileaks with the “Collateral Murder” video. Snip from the extensive Wired News item:
SPC Bradley Manning [ at left ], 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.
That “former hacker,” now said to be a US government informer, is Adrian Lamo (seen in this photo with Poulsen). You may remember Lamo’s name from the big legal case surrounding his break-ins to computer networks at The New York Times, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and MCI WorldCom. He cut a deal with the Feds in 2004 to avoid prison time. He was recently institutionalized with Asperger’s (as reported by Poulsen, for Wired), and has previously been accused of stalking a former girlfriend. Mr. Lamo is said to identify himself now as an “award-winning journalist.”
The Wired story hit late Sunday. Today, the Defense Department confirmed Manning’s arrest and detention in Kuwait over claims he “leaked classified information.” Again, from Wired News:
“United States Division-Center is currently conducting a joint investigation” says the statement, which notes that Manning is deployed with 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division in Baghdad. “The results of the investigation will be released upon completion of the investigation.”
Wikileaks apparently didn’t respond to Wired News requests for comment before the story ran, but they did reply publicly to the story on Twitter…
From the Wikileaks Twitter feed:
And Mr. Poulsen’s reply:
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