Whistle-Blower Web Site Claims US Harassment

WASHINGTON (March 25) -- It has embarrassed high-powered banks, secretive organizations and major governments. Now, as WikiLeaks prepares to release what it claims will be an explosive video showing a "Pentagon murder cover-up," the organization says it has become the target of a campaign by the U.S. government to stop its activities.

WikiLeaks has been known for its brash tactics: It has released everything from thousands of 9/11 text messages to detailed descriptions of sensitive jamming devices used by the U.S. military to thwart roadside bombs. Now, according to WikiLeaks' Twitter feed, people associated with the Web site are being harassed over its plans to release encrypted video that WikiLeaks claims shows the death of civilians and journalists in Afghanistan.

WikiLeaks' Twitter feed released a series of ominous postings Wednesday claiming people working for the organization were being followed and then detained for nearly a day. "If anything happens to us, you know why: it is our Apr 5 film. And you know who is responsible," one tweet read.

Over the course of the day, WikiLeaks' Twitter messages became more alarming: "We have been shown secret photos of our production meetings and been asked specific questions during detention related to the air strike," one message read.

Later someone tweeted: "We have airline records of the State Dep/CIA tails. Don't think you can get away with it. You cannot. This is WikiLeaks."

This is not the first time the organization has claimed that it has been the target of a coordinated U.S. government campaign to stop its activities. On March 15, WikiLeaks, which has grown in fame for its role in exposing secrets, released a U.S. Army document titled "WikiLeaks.org -- An Online Reference to Foreign Intelligence Services, Insurgents, or Terrorist Groups?"

The classified "secret" U.S. Army document says the Web site may post "a potential force protection, counterintelligence, operational security (OPSEC), and information security (INFOSEC) threat to the US Army."

WikiLeaks, which is in the middle of a fundraising campaign, also asserted a more pernicious motive to the report. "It concocts a plan to fatally marginalize the organization," it said in a statement announcing the document's release.

The wording of the Army document, however, is somewhat ambiguous. "The identification, exposure, or termination of employment of or legal actions against current or former insiders, leakers, or whistleblowers could damage or destroy this center of gravity and deter others from using WikiLeaks.org to make such information public," the document reads, thought it's unclear if that statement is a call to action or simply a statement of fact.

Lieutenant Colonel Lee Packnett, an Army spokesman, confirmed that the leaked report was real, but said it was outdated "to the point where it no longer presents the same national security concerns as it did when the report was generated."

Packnett added "that anyone who knowingly provides information marked as classified to anyone or an organization without a proper clearance or need to know is a serious matter, and subject to potential penalties under the law."

As for the latest turn of events for Wikileaks, it's still not clear what exactly happened. WikiLeaks Editor Julian Assange did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for comment. But a few hours later, the situation appeared to be less dire. "To those worrying about us -- we're fine, and will issue a suitable riposte shortly," read the organization's Twitter feed.