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WikiLeaks defendant chooses civilian lawyer

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — An Army private suspected in one of the biggest leaks of classified information in U.S. history has chosen a civilian attorney to lead his defense team, officials said Monday.

Spokesmen for the Army and the soldier's supporters said former military attorney David E. Coombs, of Providence, R.I., will represent Pfc. Bradley E. Manning against charges he leaked video of a 2007 U.S. Apache helicopter attack in Baghdad that killed a Reuters news photographer and his driver. The self-proclaimed whistleblower website WikiLeaks posted the video in April.

The 22-year-old intelligence analyst also is a person of interest in the leak of nearly 77,000 Afghan war records WikiLeaks published online in July.

Coombs, 41, didn't immediately return calls or e-mails from The Associated Press. Beside Coombs, whose fees will be paid by Manning supporters and WikiLeaks, Manning has been assigned three military lawyers.

The Bradley Manning Support Network said it has raised nearly $50,000 from more than 800 individuals for Manning's defense.

"Our network is relieved to know that Pfc. Manning is now represented by a qualified and experienced civilian lawyer," spokesman Jeff Paterson said.

Manning faces up to 52 years in prison if convicted on charges that include leaking the helicopter video and more than 50 State Department diplomatic cables to an unauthorized person. He also is charged with illegally downloading more than 150,000 diplomatic cables.

WikiLeaks hasn't acknowledged receiving anything from Manning; the shadowy international organization headed by Australian Julian Assange says it doesn't know any of its sources' identities, by design.

Coombs is best known for defending Army Sgt. Hasan Akbar, who was convicted and sentenced to death for a deadly 2003 attack on fellow U.S. military members in Kuwait. Akbar is appealing his convictions of murdering Army Capt. Chris Siefert and Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone in a grenade-and-rifle attack that also wounded 14 other service members. Prosecutors maintained that Akbar, a Muslim, was driven by religious extremism.

Coombs contended during the trial that Akbar was too mentally ill to plan the attack. A defense psychiatrist testified although he was legally sane, Akbar suffered from paranoia and schizophrenia.