Manning competent to stand trial

WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- A mental evaluation has found U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning mentally competent to stand trial for allegedly giving government secrets to WikiLeaks.

The ruling comes just days after Manning, 22, was transferred from the Marine brig at Quantico, Va., to a medium security prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., CBS News reported Saturday.

It took nine months for psychiatrists to judge Manning competent because it took several months to grant them the security clearances necessary to question him, the report said.

Manning could be a key witness as the Justice Department tries to build a case against Julian Assange and Wikileaks. That could mean that Manning will spend a long while marking time at the Kansas prison, CBS said.