Case of accused Army leaker carries high stakes

The U.S. military has opened its pretrial hearing for accused leaker Army Pfc. Bradley Manning in a heavily secured courtroom where Manning is making his first public appearance.

Mannning is suspected of giving the documents to WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website that last year began publishing the materials.

A U.S. military legal expert told reporters shortly before the proceedings began Friday that the presiding officer is likely to make his recommendation on whether to court martial Manning within eight days after the hearing ends. The hearing — roughly equivalent to a civilian grand jury proceeding — is expected to last over the weekend and possibly well into next week.

Manning was at the defense table Friday in his Army fatigues. The legal expert could not be identified under Army ground rules.