Chelsea Manning recovering after suicide attempt, lawyers say

Chelsea Manning, pictured here in May 2019, is refusing to testify before a grand jury

Former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning is recovering in hospital after trying to take her own life, her legal team has said.

Police confirmed there was "an incident" involving Manning, 32, at a detention centre in Virginia where she has been held since last May.

Manning was remanded for contempt of court for refusing to testify before an inquiry into Wikileaks.

She is due to appear before a court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday.

Andy Stepanian, a spokesman for Manning's legal team, said she continued to refuse to "participate in a secret grand jury process that she sees as highly susceptible to abuse".

"Her actions today evidence the strength of her convictions, as well as the profound harm she continues to suffer as a result of her 'civil' confinement," Mr Stepanian said.

• Ex-army leaker to run for US senate

• The turbulent life of Chelsea Manning

In a statement, Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said: "There was an incident at approximately 12:11pm today at the Alexandria Adult Detention Center involving inmate Chelsea Manning. It was handled appropriately by our professional staff and Ms Manning is safe."

Manning was found guilty in 2013 of charges including espionage for leaking secret military files to Wikileaks, but her sentence was commuted in 2017 by then US President Barack Obama.

She has refused to answer further questions about Wikileaks from investigators because she says she has already given her testimony during the 2013 trial.

US prosecutors have been investigating Wikileaks for several years. They are currently seeking the extradition of Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange from the UK over his alleged role in the release of classified military and diplomatic material in 2010.

Australian-born Assange faces 18 criminal charges in the US, including conspiring to hack government computers and violating espionage laws.

If you want to talk to someone about the issues raised in this article, you can call the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

You can call the UK Samaritans Helpline on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.