Manning: Sorry leaks 'hurt US'

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning broke his long silence during the sentencing phase of his court-martial Wednesday, apologizing for hurting the United States and saying he knew what he was doing by leaking secrets, but didn't believe his actions would harm his country.

Manning, who was convicted late last month of providing secret files to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks in the biggest data breach in U.S. history, offered his apology in an unsworn statement, which means he cannot be cross-examined by the prosecution.

He said, “I’m sorry that my actions hurt people. I’m sorry that it hurt the United States.”

Manning says he understood what he was doing and the decisions he made. However, he says he did not believe at the time that leaking the information would cause harm.

TIMELINE: The Bradley Manning Trial  

Manning's Defense attorney David Coombs previously said the soldier would decide whether he will testify as a witness or make a sworn or unsworn statement.

The 25-year-old did not speak at his trial and last made a statement in February, when he accepted responsibility for his acts and read a 10,000-word statement, saying he leaked the files to expose the American military's "bloodlust" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Manning faces up to 90 years in prison for providing WikiLeaks with more than 700,000 files, battle videos and diplomatic cables. Manning was found guilty of 20 charges, including espionage and theft, on July 30. He was found not guilty of the most serious count, aiding the enemy, which carried a life sentence.

Coombs is expected to conclude his case for a lenient sentence after calling a dozen witnesses. Judge Col. Denise Lind could sentence Manning immediately after the defense finishes at Fort Meade, Md.

The Oklahoma native said in his earlier statement that he had hoped to spark a public debate about U.S. foreign and military policy by releasing the data to WikiLeaks, while serving in Iraq.

The material that shocked many around the world was a 2007 gunsight video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Baghdad. A dozen people were killed, including two Reuters news staff, and WikiLeaks dubbed the footage "Collateral Murder."

Prosecutors argued that Manning was an arrogant soldier who aided al Qaeda militants and harmed the United States with the release of the documents.

His attorneys have countered that the Army ignored his mental health problems and violent outbursts and that computer security at Manning's base was lax. They contended that  Manning, who is gay, was naive but well-intentioned and suffering from a sexual identity crisis in Iraq.

Wire services