'First steps of freedom!!': Chelsea Manning shares picture as she walks free from prison and enjoys a slice of pizza after serving seven years for releasing military secrets to WikiLeaks

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Pvt Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks, was released from a Kansas military prison on Wednesday after serving seven years of her 35-year sentence. 

An army spokesperson confirmed for DailyMail.com that Chelsea Manning had left Fort Leavenworth in the early hours of Wednesday at around 2am local time. The Army previously refused to say when and how she would be freed due to potential security concerns

President Barack Obama granted 29-year-old Manning clemency in his final days in office in January.

A few hours after her release, Manning posted a photo that showed her in a pair of new black Converse sneakers with the caption: 'First steps of freedom!!' 

Later that afternoon Manning posted another snap of herself enjoying her first post-prison lunch, a piece of pizza. 

And a few hours after that Manning tweeted, and then deleted a message that read: 'People are stepping out with Chucks to uspport Chelsea Manning.' 

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Pvt Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier convicted of giving classified government materials to WikiLeaks, was released from a Kansas military prison on Wednesday

Online: She posted a photo that showed her in a pair of new black Converse sneakers with the caption: 'First steps of freedom!!'

Food for thought: Later that afternoon Manning posted another snap of herself enjoying her first post-prison lunch, a piece of pizza 

Media crews wait outside US Army facility Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, before dawn as they waited for her release

Manning's attorneys have said Manning was subjected to violence in prison and argued the military mistreated her by requiring her to serve her sentence in an all-male prison, restricting her physical and mental health care and not allowing her to keep a feminine haircut

She was released a military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, at around 2am local time on Wednesday after seven years behind bars. The United States Penitentiary exit is seen in Leavenworth, Kansas

Manning's lawyer told the BBC that her client was excited to leave prison but likely 'anxious'.  

'She's ready to finally be able to live as the woman that she is,' Nancy Hollander said. 

'She is looking forward to eating pizza, swimming, playing PlayStation and meeting the many friends who have supported her over the years but who were never allowed to visit in person,' Manning's ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio told NBC News. 

'Beyond that, she is waiting to experience life outside of prison before declaring any future plans. After so many years of government control over her body and gender, I know she is eager to grow her hair, express her gender and negotiate decisions on her own terms.'

Manning, who was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison, was convicted in 2013 of 20 counts, including six Espionage Act violations, theft and computer fraud. She was acquitted of the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. 

The Crescent, Oklahoma, native tweeted after being granted clemency that she plans to move to Maryland. Neither she nor her attorneys explained why, but she has an aunt who lives there.

Ahead of her release, Manning told ABC that she was looking forward to her future as a free woman.

'I appreciate the wonderful support that I have received from so many people across the world over these past years,' she told ABC on Tuesday. 'As I rebuild my life, I remind myself not to relive the past.

'The past will always affect me and I will keep that in mind while remembering that how it played out is only my starting point, not my final destination.'

Manning, a former intelligence analyst in Iraq, has acknowledged leaking the materials, which included battlefield video. 

Journalists waited at the front gate of US Army base Fort Leavenworth for the expected departure of Chelsea Manning in Leavenworth on Wednesday morning

The Army did not disclose when or how Manning would be freed ahead of her release due to potential security concerns

In total, she released more than 700,000 classified military and diplomatic documents via WikiLeaks.

She said she wanted to expose what she considered to be the US military's disregard of the effects of war on civilians and that she released information that she didn't believe would harm the United States.

Critics said the leaks laid bare some of the nation's most-sensitive secrets and endangered information sources, prompting the State Department to help some of those people move to protect their safety.

Manning, who still identified as a male named Bradley (above in 2013) when she was arrested, is expected to live in Maryland when she finally walks free

Several ambassadors were recalled, expelled or reassigned because of embarrassing disclosures.

Manning, who was arrested in 2010, filed a transgender rights lawsuit in prison and attempted suicide twice last year, according to her lawyers.

Obama's decision to commute Manning's sentence to about seven years, including the time she spent locked up before being convicted, drew strong criticism from members of Congress and others, with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan calling the move 'just outrageous'.

Labeled a traitor by President Donald Trump, she has gained the support of celebrities and is seen by many Americans as a courageous rights activist who was handed an unfair sentence for revealing civilian deaths caused by US bombings in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

Supporters of Manning - who attempted suicide twice last year alone - said they feared she would not have been able to survive the long sentence. Now, she can complete her transition as a free, openly transgender woman.

'Two more days until the freedom of civilian life,' Manning tweeted Monday. 'Now hunting for private #healthcare like millions of Americans.'

In a statement last week - her first public comments since Obama intervened - Manning thanked the former president and said that letters of support from veterans and fellow transgender people inspired her 'to work toward making life better for others'.

'For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea,' she said. 'I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world.  

'Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine.'

Manning was able to start hormonal treatment in prison to begin transitioning toward her female identity. This transition is certain to speed up outside a prison environment Manning said denied her 'right to exist'. 

Her attorneys have said Manning was subjected to violence in prison and argued the military mistreated her by requiring her to serve her sentence in an all-male prison, restricting her physical and mental health care and not allowing her to keep a feminine haircut.

The Department of Defense has repeatedly declined to discuss Manning's treatment in prison.

The Army said on Tuesday that Manning would remain on active duty in a special, unpaid status that will legally entitle her to military medical care, along with commissary privileges. 

Manning will continue to have access to commissaries - or special grocery stores tailored to servicemen and women and their families - and military exchanges, which are retail stores operated on military bases.

An Army spokeswoman, Lt Col Jennifer Johnson, said Manning will be on 'excess leave' while her court-martial conviction is under appellate review.

Manning had served seven years of a 35-year stretch when President Barack Obama commuted her sentence earlier this year before he left the White House

Ahead of Manning's release, Amnesty International called for an investigation into the potential human rights violations exposed by the soldier. 

The organization called for protections to be put in place to ensure safety for whistleblowers like Manning.  

'While we celebrate her freedom, we will continue to call for an independent investigation into the potential human rights violations she exposed, and for protections to be put in place to ensure whistleblowers like Chelsea are never again subjected to such appalling treatment,' Margaret Huang, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, said: in a statement. 

Huang added: 'Chelsea's treatment is especially galling given that nobody has been held accountable for the alleged crimes that she brought to light. 

'The US authorities' vindictive treatment of Chelsea Manning after she exposed potential military wrongdoing is a sad reflection of the extremes those in power often go to in order to deter others from speaking out.' 

Ahead of Manning's release, a group of musicians released a compilation album with all proceeds to go to the former soldier as she starts a new life.

'Hugs for Chelsea,' a digital album available for a $25 donation, features tracks by artists known for their left-wing activism including Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello and Sonic Youth co-founder Thurston Moore.

Manning has also surreptitiously become an icon for transgender activists.

'The first thing Chelsea always says when we talk about her freedom is that she wants to give back to the trans community,' said Chase Strangio, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is himself transgender.