US judge orders release of WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning

Chelsea Manning is set to be released Credit: PA

A US judge has ordered that WikiLeaks whistleblower Chelsea Manning should be released from jail after being held since May for refusing to testify to a grand jury.

District Judge Anthony Trenga ordered the release of the former Army intelligence analyst after prosecutors reported that the grand jury that subpoenaed her has disbanded.

The judge left in place more than 250,000 dollars in fines he imposed for her refusal to testify to the grand jury, which is investigating WikiLeaks.

A hearing had been scheduled for Friday. Manning argued that she had shown she could not be coerced into testifying and therefore should be released.

On Wednesday, her lawyers said she attempted suicide while at the jail in Alexandria, Virginia.