Patrick Semansky / AP file

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning steps out of a security vehicle as he is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., on Nov. 29, 2012, for a pretrial hearing.

FORT MEADE, Md. – A military judge on Thursday accepted guilty pleas by  Army Pfc. Bradley Manning to 10 lesser charges against him, leaving the ex-intelligence analyst to face 12 other counts for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of government documents to the WikiLeaks website. 

The acceptance of the "naked guilty pleas" -- meaning there is no agreement between the government and the defense that would limit the sentence – at a pre-trial hearing means that Manning faces up to 20 years in prison, even if he is ultimately acquitted of the most-serious charges against him. 

Col. Denise Lind, the military judge presiding over the case, also accepted Manning’s “not guilty” pleas to the remaining charges, including "aiding the enemy." His court martial on those charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, is scheduled to begin on June 3. 

During the day-long pre-trial hearing, Manning acknowledged that his actions were a discredit to the service and that he knew WikiLeaks was not authorized to have the information he provided. 

At one point when Lind asked him whether he knew what he was doing was wrong, he answered simply, "Yes, your honor."

More than an hour of Thursday's hearing was consumed by Manning's composed reading of a 35-page prepared statement that offered his first public explanation of his motives for leaking the government documents to WikiLeaks. He said he did so to “spark domestic debate” on foreign policy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Manning painted himself as a young man with an "insatiable thirst for geopolitical information" and a desire for the world to know the truth about what was happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he said he became increasingly disillusioned after being sent to Iraq by actions that "didn't seem characteristic" of the U.S., the leader of free world.

Manning said under oath that the first documents he sent to WikiLeaks in early 2012 were the combined information data network exchanges for Iraq and Afghanistan, which he described as the daily journals of the "on-the-ground reality" of the conflicts in Iran and Afghanistan. 

He said he sent the information while on leave and staying at his aunt's house in Potomac, Md., using a public computer at a Barnes & Noble store in Rockville or North Bethesda. He said included a brief note calling the information the most significant documents of our time, and closing with, "Have a good day." 

He said he tried to send the information to the Washington Post and the New York Times before turning to WikiLeaks.  He said he later sent information to WikiLeaks eight other times from his personal laptop at Contingency Base Hammer in Iraq. 

Manning is facing 22 criminal charges that include "aiding the enemy" and could face a life sentence if convicted of the most serious charges. 

Manning said he decided to release the first batch information because he was depressed and frustrated, and felt "a sense of relief" when he returned to Iraq. He said he finally had a "clear conscience" because someone else knew what was happening. 

His most detailed explanation involved the release of aerial weapons team video showing airstrikes that killed some Iraqi civilians and several Reuters journalists.

“It was troubling to me" that the U.S. military in Iraq wouldn't release the video, he said. Also disturbing was the "seemingly delightful blood lust" exhibited when members of the air crew referred to the civilians as "dead bastards" and congratulated one another on their ability to kill large numbers of people. He said he was encouraged by the public response, that others were "as troubled" as he was.

In addition to the charge of aiding the enemy, Manning pleaded not guilty to counts alleging theft of U.S documents or videos -- including allegations that he stole the list of all of the emails and phone numbers of U.S. military and personnel in Iraq at the time -- unauthorized access of that information and downloading unauthorized software onto government computers.

The charges to which he pleaded guilty included intentionally causing intelligence information to be published on the Internet, improper handling of classified information and counts of conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Specifically, Manning acknowledged that he had unauthorized possession of information, that he willfully communicated it, and that he communicated it to an unauthorized person. However, he only acknowledged that for nine specific files or pieces of information, including: 

• Combat engagement video of a helicopter gunship;
• Two Army intelligence agency memos;
• Certain records of the combined information data network exchange Iraq (which tracks all significant acts and patrol reports);
• Combined information data network exchange Afghanistan records;
• Some SOUTHCOM files dealing with Guantanamo Bay;
• An investigation into an incident in a village in Farah, Afghanistan; 
• Some Department of State cables.

Related story: WikiLeaks case: Bradley Manning seeks first public statement on motive

At his court martial, Manning’s defense is expected to argue that he considered himself a "whistleblower" and released the documents with "no malicious intent" or the intent to do "any harm to anyone." The government contends the release of the documents put some lives at risks, including the names of Afghans who were working with the U.S. military and intelligence.

Jim Miklaszewski is NBC News’ Chief Pentagon Correspondent and Courtney Kube is NBC News’ National Security Producer.  

This story was originally published on Thu Feb 28, 2013 11:00 AM EST

Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images file

Pfc.Bradley Manning is escorted by military police as he departs the courtroom at Fort Meade, Maryland on April 25, 2012.

A military judge denied a motion to dismiss charges against Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is accused of providing reams of classified documents to WikiLeaks, but agreed that Manning should have a 112-day reduction from his sentence, if convicted, due to mistreatment during confinement.

Col. Denise Lind, who made the announcement during a four-day pretrial hearing that started Tuesday at Fort Meade, Md., said that Manning's confinement at a military jail in Quantico, Va., was "more rigorous than necessary," and "became excessive in relation to legitimate government interests."

Even so, Lind said dismissal of charges is "not appropriate," and would make sense only in the case of "outrageous" conduct on behalf of Manning's jailers.

Manning faces 22 charges, including aiding the enemy, which carries a maximum of life behind bars.

His defense attorney David Coombs argued that the military held the 25-year-old intelligence analyst in unduly punishing pretrial conditions for nine months after his 2010 arrest.

A 28-page motion filed in August said Manning was locked up alone in a small cell for nearly nine months at Quantico and forced to sleep naked for several nights — treatment his lawyers say constituted illegal punishment.

The document said Quantico officials operated in a culture where "anything goes" and "nobody is held to account for their conduct," willfully ignoring the advice of medical professionals who did not support the solitary confinement.

Jailers at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico testified that they considered Manning a suicide risk and that they were only trying to keep him from hurting himself and others by keeping him in a windowless, 6-by-8-foot cell for 23 hours a day.

In December, prosecutors conceded that Manning was improperly held on suicide watch for seven days and recommended he get seven days' credit at sentencing.

Bradley Manning heads to court to argue against trial in Wikileaks case

Manning has been held in pre-trial detention since May 29, 2010.

The judge's rejection of the motion to throw out the charges had been expected by legal observers.

Do motives matter?
This week's pretrial hearing includes arguments on whether Manning's motivation matters.

Prosecutors want the judge to bar the defense from producing evidence at Manning's March 6 trial regarding his motive for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of secret war logs and diplomatic cables. They say motive is irrelevant to whether he leaked intelligence, knowing it could be seen by al-Qaeda.

Manning allegedly told an online confidant-turned-informant that he leaked the material because "I want people to see the truth" and "information should be free."

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Attorney Coombs said Tuesday that barring such evidence would cripple the defense's ability to argue that Manning leaked only information that he believed could not hurt the United States or help a hostile power.

Manning has offered to take responsibility for the leaks in a pending plea offer but he still could face trial on charges that include aiding the enemy.

The Associated Press and NBC News' Kari Huus contributed to this report.

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Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted by military police departing the courtroom at Fort Meade, Md., in April. The U.S. Army private is accused of passing classified documents to secret-spilling WikiLeaks,

Updated at 10 p.m. ET: The defense team for Private First Class Bradley Manning — charged in the biggest security breach in U.S. history — invoked the soldier’s excitement about March Madness and questioned a Marine about whether he refers to his underpants as “panties.”

A former intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2009 and 2010, Manning stands accused of giving thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, including logs about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than 250,000 diplomatic cables. If convicted of the most serious count of the 22 charges against him — aiding the enemy — Manning could face life in prison.

Manning was detained on May 29, 2010, and has been in pre-trial lock-up since. The pretrial hearings have focused primarily on a period of nearly nine months that he was locked up alone in a small cell at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., and forced to sleep naked for several nights. His lawyers say the solitary confinement constituted illegal punishment — and grounds to dismiss all charges.

Military prosecutors in the case maintain that Manning’s treatment was proper — confining him initially as a maximum-security detainee who posed a risk of injury to himself or others, and after further evaluation changing his status to medium risk.

In Fort Meade on Sunday, the Marine who served as the Quantico brig counselor while Manning was held there defended the decision to keep Manning on strict, "Prevention of Injury" status for months - much longer than most other detainees.

Marine Master Sergeant Craig Blenis said that Manning's statements and actions warranted his restricted status, including when he responded to a question about his suicidal tendencies with the written statement, "Always planning, never acting."

Blenis argued that you don't go to an airport and joke about a bomb, you don't go to D.C. and joke about assassination, and you don't go to a jail and joke about suicide. "If someone tells me they're going to shoot themselves in the face, I'm not going to give them a gun," he said.

Asked about Manning's claim that his statement was just sarcasm, Blenis said that he doesn't interpret sarcasm, "not when you're talking about hurting yourself." 

The defense argued that Manning's continued good behavior should have warranted fewer restrictions. Blenis replied that being polite and courteous doesn't mean someone will not hurt themselves.

Blenis referenced several instances of Manning's odd behavior, citing posing in front of the mirror and flexing his muscles, playing peek-a-boo with himself, and licking the bars of his cell.

Defense attorney David Coombs asked why posing in the mirror was unorthodox, saying that he has done that before, too. Is playing peek-a-boo odd? he asked.

"It's not normal," Blenis said.

In March 2011 Manning made another statement about suicide, saying that if he wanted to kill himself, he could use his underwear or his socks. The guards then began to take away Manning's underwear and socks at night.

Coombs asked Blenis about an email between some members of the Brig staff that said to make sure Manning was not standing naked at evening count, saying, "You should be taking his panties right before he lays down."

Blenis responded that the words underwear and panties can be interchangeable.

"So you call your underwear panties?" Coombs asked.

"Sometimes I do, sir," Blenis said.

"That's your testimony?" Coombs asked.

"Yes, sir," he responded.

March Madness?
Earlier in the day, Staff Sergeant Ryan Jordan told the defense during cross-examination that one reason Manning was kept on prevention of injury status – essentially one level below suicide watch – was that Manning rarely engaged in conversation with the guards.

Jordan related an instance when he and Manning spoke about the upcoming March Madness — the frenzy around the national college basketball playoffs — and said that Manning talked about how he had enjoyed filling out brackets in previous years.

Coombs asked Jordan whether Manning having a possible gender identity disorder was factored into the decision to keep Manning on prevention of injury status, referring to the defendant as Breanna Elizabeth Manning, the alias Manning used when he first arrived at Quantico.

A gender identity disorder "didn't weigh heavily" in his consideration, Jordan said.

The defense attorney also put Manning’s height and weight on the record Sunday for consideration by the judge, postulating that Manning may have been quiet because he was physically intimidated by Jordan. Staff Sergeant Jordan stands 6 foot 9 inches, while Manning is 5 foot 2 inches and weighs about 105 pounds, Coombs said.

NBC News' Kari Huus, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

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Patrick Semansky / AP

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning steps out of a security vehicle as he is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., on Thursday.

FORT MEADE, Md. -- Pfc. Bradley Manning spent six more hours on the stand Friday during a hearing on the WikiLeaks case, facing questions from the prosecution, the judge and his own attorney, David Coombs.

The discussion never deviated from Manning's treatment while at Quantico brig, focusing mainly on why he didn't complain about his treatment before January and on various incidents that may have led to the military to put Manning on prevention of injury status, which put more restrictions on him.

Manning did seem to choke back tears at one point when he spoke about his family.

When asked why he never complained about his restrictive status to his family during visits, Manning's voice hitched and his face got red. "I didn't want them to worry about me," he said. He added that he worried that he would not be allowed to have visitors if he complained.

One of the Marine guards who was assigned to Manning testified Friday evening about how Manning behaved at Quantico, saying that he was not a disrespectful inmate, with the exception of an incident in January 2011.

The guard testified that Manning yelled at the brig commander, which led the guards to call a "code blue" and mobilize a response team to possibly remove Manning forcibly from his cell. In the end, Manning wasn't removed from his cell, but the guard explained just how significant this incident was in the facility.

Assange asks Obama to release leak suspect

"It was an extremely big deal to show disrespect to the commanding officer of the brig," the former guard said.

Judge Denise Lind asked whether it was standard for someone who is disrespectful to the commander to be placed on suicide watch as a result.

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"It never happened before," the former guard said.

Earlier, a prosecutor, U.S. Army Maj. Ashden Fein, read through dozens of weekly evaluations in which Manning said that treatment by his guards was "excellent" and the facility "very professional." Fein also walked through months of assessments in which Manning did not ask to be taken off of protective status (which is essentially one step less restrictive than suicide watch).

Despite arriving at Quantico in late July 2010, Manning did not ask to be taken off prevention of injury status until January 2011, the defense said, when he appeared before a board to plead his case for fewer restrictions.

The defense argued that Manning demonstrated that he might harm himself on several occasions - including once making a noose.

Among the exhibits presented in court Friday were two bedsheets. Manning said that he recognized one of the sheets and, when asked whether it was the sheet he had made a noose out of while in detention in Kuwait, Manning said, "yes, sir."

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The prosecution asked about Manning's handwritten statement on an admission form at the Quantico brig, in which he responded to a question about any suicidal tendencies with a cryptic "Always planning, never acting."

Manning said that when he appeared before the board in January 2011, the focus was on those two incidents. When the board asked about his admission statement, Manning told the court Friday that he had responded that it was really more of a philosophical question, so he gave them a longer, more intellectual answer.

Bradley Manning's psychiatrist says his recommendations ignored by Quantico staff

Manning said he argued with the board about what is really true or false, and explained that humans are fallible. He said it may have been a "sarcastic answer, given on a whim."

Manning did elicit laughter from some people in the courtroom when Fein asked him if he needed a "comfort break." Manning responded that he could wait. "Seven more minutes will be good," he said, adding, "I can control my bladder." The prosecutor said he would try to limit his next few questions to exactly seven minutes.

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Patrick Semansky / AP

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.

FORT MEADE, Md. -- The U.S. soldier accused in the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history broke his silence in court Thursday, speaking in great length and detail about his time in various U.S. military detention facilities.

In the third day of a hearing to determine whether he should face court-martial, Pfc. Bradley Manning began by describing the day he was detained in Iraq on May 27, 2010, and then described each cell and detention facility he's been in since.

After a few days in a facility in Iraq, Manning was taken to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. He characterized his cell there as a "cage," dark and with no air conditioning. Manning said that after several weeks in the segregation tent at Camp Arifjan he felt like a caged animal. "I was a mess, I totally started to fall apart," he said.

Manning described how he "started to really deteriorate,” and how he was anxious all the time. "I'm going to die, I'm stuck inside this cage," he said he thought to himself, adding, "I had pretty much given up."

He said that on June 30, 2010, he had a mental break from reality. Manning said that he doesn't remember yelling uncontrollably, screaming, mumbling, or making a noose out of his bedsheets, describing everything from those hours as foggy and hazy.

Manning acknowledged that he "certainly contemplated" suicide but that he "didn't want to die," he just wanted to "get out of the cage."  After several weeks of medication, Manning said, he began to "flatten out."

That July, he found out he was moving to another facility, but he had no idea where he was going. He speculated that he could be going to Guantanamo Bay, saying that he was "very scared" and "had no idea" what would happen to him. It wasn't until he was on a plane in Germany that he found out he was flying to Baltimore-Washington International Airport.WI.

Manning said he was "elated" to be back on U.S. soil, but that feeling was trampled when he arrived at Quantico for in-processing. He testified that the Marines conducted a "shark attack" on him, forcing him to fill out paperwork for hours, barking at him the entire time.

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During those hours, Manning answered a question about any suicidal tendencies by saying that he is "always plotting, but never acting."  He wasn't thinking about what he was writing so he responded sarcastically he said, adding that he now regrets that. That statement would haunt him for the duration of his time at Quantico.

Manning was placed on suicide risk when he arrived at Quantico, and he stayed at virtually the same restrictive level for his entire nine months there.

During Thursday’s hearing he used a diagram made of white tape on the floor of the courtroom to illustrate how small his Quantico cell was. He put on a suicide smock (the thick, heavy jumper he was given to sleep in at night), showed a suicide mattress, and described his daily life there.

Manning was always in restraints when out of his cell, and he described in detail a minor altercation he had with the guards in January 2011 that led to even further restrictions.

Manning, frustrated to still be on restrictions in March 2011, tried to make his case to the commander at the brig. He argued that if he wanted to kill himself, he could just use his socks or underwear, something already in his cell.

As expected, that caused the brig leadership to begin taking his clothes away from him at night, citing the need to protect him from harming himself. This was how Manning ended up standing naked at count one morning. Manning testified that he spent several minutes standing completely naked as the guards counted the prisoners after his first night without clothes. His clothes were taken away again that night (and every night after that), but the following mornings the guards had his clothes waiting for him before count.

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In April 2011, Manning was transferred to the Joint Detention Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. He described how strange it felt to be allowed to move around without leg and arm restraints. "It felt awkward," he said. He was surprised to see that at his new facility he was not only given underwear, but he had a T-shirt, shorts, sheets, blankets, a pillow and toiletry items.

Manning testified that this was a "huge upgrade" and he was actually concerned that it was a mistake or miscommunication. Manning got into a verbal and physical altercation with another detainee at Leavenworth, but they were both punished and he has not had any other problems since then.

Overall, Manning testified for more than six hours this afternoon. He was polite, answering sir or ma'am to every question. He rambled at times, clearly unsure how to answer certain questions from his own attorney, and often forgetting names and dates.

We learned a little bit about how he spent his 21 to 23 hours per day in solitary ... he testified that he wasn't allowed to exercise in his cell at Quantico, so he would often "practice various dance moves," calling it "a form of pseudo exercising."

He said he often made faces at himself in the mirror in his cell and played peek a boo with himself, calling the mirror "the most entertaining thing in there." He said he knew he was looking at himself in the mirror, and that he "wasn't seeing anyone else."

Manning acknowledged that he would pretend to lift imaginary weights, calling it strength training, and that he did pretend to have sword fights with himself and that he knew that the guards were watching him.

And he said he prefers non-fiction books and enjoys reading about philosophy and history, but he named John Grisham and Tom Clancy as a couple of his favorite authors.

Court is now in recess. Manning is back in court Friday morning for cross examination from the prosecution.

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Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Pfc. Bradley E. Manning is escorted from a pre-trail hearing on Tuesday in Fort Meade, Md. Manning is accused of sending hundreds of thousands of classified Iraq and Afghanistan war logs and more than 250,000 diplomatic cables to the website WikiLeaks while he was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2009 and 2010.

Staff at the Quantico brig kept Army Private First Class Bradley Manning on restrictive lockdown during his time there because they were erring on the side of caution, according to testimony given Wednesday by the base's then-security battalion commander.

The second day of this week's hearings are underway in the case against Manning, who is charged with leaking thousands of pages of classified documents to the website WikiLeaks.

This week's hearings cover a motion filed by the defense claiming that the charges against Manning should be dismissed because his confinement conditions were egregiously harsh while he was held in the Quantico brig between July 2010 and April 2011. Pfc. Manning was held on 23-hour lockdown in a small cell. For several days, the defense said, had his clothes taken from him at night.

This morning, the court heard a portion of testimony from Col. Robert Oltman, who commanded the security battalion at Quantico while Manning was held there.

Manning's defense attorney David Coombs pressed Oltman on a number of email exchanges and meetings Oltman had with Quantico leadership and with the psychiatric staff there.

Manning's defense argues in its motion that the Quantico leadership was overly concerned with the Army private, in part because of the media scrutiny surrounding the case and in part because another detainee at Quantico committed suicide just months before Manning's arrival.

During his time at Quantico, Manning remained classified as a maximum-security prisoner and as a risk to his own safety, despite recommendations by the psychiatric staff that Manning was no longer a risk to himself.

After Manning was transferred to the Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he was placed in a medium-security facility with far fewer restrictions.

Col. Oltman testified that he was aware of the psychiatric staff recommendations but that their views were only one part of a larger assessment of Manning's status. The brig staff erred on the side of caution, Oltman said, because Manning arrived at Quantico as a suicide risk and none of his behavior with the brig staff indicated he had changed.

Oltman's testimony will continue when court reconvenes.

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Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Pfc. Bradley E. Manning is escorted from a pre-trial hearing Tuesday in Fort Meade, Maryland. Manning attended a motion hearing in the case of United States vs. Pfc. Bradley E. Manning, who is accused of sending hundreds of thousands of classified Iraq and Afghanistan war logs and more than 250,000 diplomatic cables to the website WikiLeaks while he was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2009 and 2010.

FORT MEADE, Md. -- During a pre-trial hearing Tuesday, the defense for Army Private First Class Bradley Manning -- accused of leaking thousands of classified documents to the website Wikileaks – began making the case that Manning's charges should be dismissed, saying the Army private's confinement conditions constitute illegal punishment.

Pfc. Manning's defense team alleges he was improperly classified as a high security risk and as a risk to himself while confined at Quantico, which resulted in Manning being kept on 23-hour lockdown in a small cell. At one point, his clothes were taken from him at night. 

David Coombs, Manning's lead attorney, spent more than six hours questioning retired Marine Corps Col. Daniel Choike (pronounced CHOY-kee), who was commander of the Quantico brig at the time. Coombs asked Choike about a number of emails sent among the brig staff indicating that some at the facility believed that Manning did not require such harsh confinement.

Judges can dismiss charges if treatment prior to trial is egregiously harsh, but it is rare.

Manning's motion is filed under Article 13 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which bars any punishment or penalty other than arrest or confinement while the accused awaits trial.

The brig staff classified Manning as maximum security, usually reserved for violent offenders, and as in need of protection from injury, a classification for prisoners who may harm themselves. The defense argues that Manning needed neither classification and that his status led to unfairly harsh confinement conditions.

Related: Bradley Manning heads to court to argue against trial in Wikileaks case

Just months before Manning entered the Quantico brig, another prisoner, Marine Captain Michael Webb, committed suicide while being held there. The defense's motion paints a picture of a base overly concerned about another suicide in the facility's brig, particularly with a prisoner as high profile as Manning.

On the witness stand today, the brig's commander maintained that Manning's classifications as a maximum security prisoner and as a risk to himself were both proper, citing erratic behavior such as licking his cell's bars and playing peek-a-boo with brig staff.

After nine months at Quantico, Manning was transferred to the Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he was placed in a medium security facility. He was not deemed a risk to himself.

On Wednesday, the court is expected to hear from a member of the mental health staff at Quantico while Manning was there. Manning, who has never testified in detail himself, is listed as a witness but it is still unclear whether he will testify.

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