By Larry Shaughnessy, CNN Pentagon Producer
FORT MEADE, Maryland (CNN) — Bradley Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst charged with the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history, acted selfishly and gathered sensitive information in Iraq with the goal of sending it to WikiLeaks, the prosecution said in closing arguments at his court martial on Thursday.
Maj. Ashden Fein opened a planned three-hour summation saying Manning was not interested in obeying the oaths and non-disclosure agreements he swore to before going to Iraq.
He also indicated that Manning did all of it knowing that enemies of the United States, including al Qaeda, would be able to access the information.
Manning’s attorneys maintain that prosecutors have failed to show he knew that by giving information to WikiLeaks he was giving information to an enemy of the United States.
WikiLeaks has never confirmed that Manning was the source of its information.
One of the most serious charges Manning faces is aiding the enemy, which would carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
He already has pleaded guilty to nearly a dozen lesser charges that carry a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars.
The judge, Col. Denise Lind, is overseeing the case at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Before closing arguments, Lind denied a defense motion for directed verdict on the minor charges, mostly alleging theft of 74,000 e-mail addresses of troops in Iraq from the military’s Global Address List.
