Court denies access to Manning file

FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) - An Army appeals court has denied a request for public access to military court records in the case of an Army private charged with sending classified U.S. government documents to the secret-sharing website WikiLeaks.

The Army Court of Criminal Appeals at Fort Belvoir, Va., issued the ruling Thursday.

The Center for Constitutional Rights filed the petition on behalf of WikiLeaks, its founder Julian Assange and five journalists. The New York-based group says it will appeal the ruling to the military's highest court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington.

The petition seeks access to records in the court-martial of Pfc. Bradley Manning. He is charged aiding the enemy for allegedly leaking reams of diplomatic cables and war logs while serving as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad.