Pvt. , the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks, was spotted walking out of an optometrist office in New York on Saturday.
The solider was released from a Kansas military two weeks ago after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence. The 29-year-old was pictured on the phone at the Revolution Eyes branch in New York City. Witnesses said the soldier was in the presence of bodyguards who escorted the soldier in a private car. Chelsea Manning, previously known as Bradley Manning, remained an active-duty, unpaid soldier, eligible for health care and other benefits after release from prison.
Daily Mail suggested that the soldier was believed to be in New York to film an interview on ABC’s Nightline, which is set to broadcast next month.
, who was known as Bradley before transitioning in , was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. The soldier was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. President Barack Obama granted clemency in his final days in office in January.
, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video. The soldier said it wanted to expose what it considered to be the U.S. military’s disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that it released information that it didn’t believe would harm the U.S.
, who was arrested in 2010, filed a transgender rights lawsuit in and attempted suicide twice last year, according to her lawyers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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