A Frontline investigation reveals that alleged Wikileaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning threatened his stepmother with a knife in 2006.
Manning’s father, Brian Manning, in an interview with Frontline said the incident spawned from a discussion of Bradley Manning needing to follow house rules. Then things reached a boiling point, he said.
“My husband’s 18-year-old son is out of control and just threatened me with a knife,” Manning’s stepmother told the 911 dispatcher. “And his father has just had surgery and he is down on the floor… Get away from him! You, get away from him! Get away from him!”
Bradley Manning was escorted from the house, Frontline reports, but he was not arrested or charged. He moved out of the house the next day.
Listen to the call:
As TPM has reported, Manning is charged with violating the Espionage Act. NBC News reported in January that the military has filed 22 additional charges against Manning. He is currently being held in a U.S. Marine brig in Quantico, Virginia.
Brian Manning expressed concern over reports of his son’s treatment in prison.
“His clothing is being taken away from him, and he’s being humiliated by having to stand at attention in front of people — male or female, as far as I can tell — who are fully clothed.”
“You just can’t believe it,” he added.
But Brian Manning said he has visited his son about 8 times, and that Bradley Manning doesn’t complain about his treatment. “He looks good,” he said.
The Pentagon released a statement in response to Brian Manning’s interview:
PFC Bradley Manning is being held in pre-trial confinement at the Marine Corps base Quantico. He is accused of, and charged with, very serious crimes. He is innocent until proven guilty, but is in pre-trial confinement for a host of reasons typical in the military justice system, including the very serious nature of the offenses he is alleged to have committed.
Brian Manning maintains his son “had a happy life growing up. We had a very happy household,” he said.
More on Frontline‘s investigation into Bradley Manning’s personal life here.
