Chelsea Manning, an ex-US Army intelligence analyst, was arrested on Friday following a federal judge's finding that she was in contempt of court as she rejected to respond to questions before a secret grand jury, according to the US media.
The court ordered the suspect to be kept in prison until the grand jury finishes its work or if she decides to testify.
Addressing the issue of Manning's incarceration, Prosecutor Tracy McCormick said that she could easily end it if she abides to the legislation and testifies.
This comes after earlier this week Manning said in a statement that she was ready to "face the consequences" that will come if she refuses to respond to the panel's questions.
"A judge will consider the legal grounds for my refusal to answer questions in front of a grand jury," she noted. "The court may find me in contempt, and order me to jail."
READ MORE: ‘Everything's Gotten Worse': Chelsea Manning Slams Worsening Security State
On Wednesday, Manning appeared before a grand jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in an undisclosed case, but refused to answer any questions citing the First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendments of the US constitution.
In 2010, Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking a trove of military intelligence records to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. In 2017, outgoing US President Barack Obama commuted her sentence after she had served seven years.
