HAGERSTOWN, Md.—A lawyer for the Army private charged with giving classified material to WikiLeaks says his client has mental health problems that could avert a court-martial.
Civilian lawyer David Coombs says Pfc. Bradley Manning has been ordered to undergo a mental health examination to determine his understanding of his own behavior from November through May.
That's when Manning is alleged to have given a classified video and documents to an unauthorized person while working as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. He faces up to 52 years in prison if convicted.
Coombs says Manning's supervisors documented a decline in his mental stability during his deployment in Iraq, and even disabled his rifle out of concern for his safety.
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