|
The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings & Torture |
|
February 23rd,
2009 - Military Prosecutor Says Iraqi Detainee Killed Out of Revenge |
|
Military Prosecutor Says
Iraqi Detainee Killed Out of Revenge By Kristin M. Hall Associated Press February 23, 2009 After a roadside bomb killed
two soldiers in his platoon, 1st Lt. Michael Behenna was not the same platoon
leader. Advertisement Intent on finding out who
was behind the explosion last April, Behenna soon became convinced that a
local Iraqi named Ali Mansour Mohammed was supplying insurgents with
explosives that were used in the attack, his attorney said. During opening statements
Monday in Behenna's trial in Mohammed's death, a military prosecutor said
that instead of releasing the detainee as ordered after he was interrogated,
Behenna took him out to a secluded railroad culvert and shot him in the head
and chest. Capt. Erwin Roberts told a
military panel during opening statements Monday that Behenna justified his
killing to other soldiers by saying Mohammed was a bad man and that he had no
remorse because he lost two soldiers. A defense attorney for
Behenna said he was a good leader and had a good relationship with local
Iraqi leaders in the area near their base near Beiji, about 155 miles north
of Baghdad. Defense attorney Jack
Zimmerman said that weeks before Mohammed's killing, Behenna was deeply
affected by the April attack on his platoon that, according to the military,
also wounded two other soldiers and killed three Iraqis, including a
translator. "After the loss of
those lives on the 21st of April, he was a changed man," said defense
attorney Jack Zimmerman. Behenna, of Edmond, Okla.,
is one of two 101st Airborne Division soldiers to have faced charges related
to the May 2008 killing of the detainee. Staff Sgt. Hal Warner pleaded guilty
last week to assault, maltreatment of a subordinate and making a false
statement in the case. Warner agreed to testify against Behenna and was
sentenced 17 months in prison. Behenna was charged with
premeditated murder, assault and making a false official statement. If
convicted, he could face life in prison without parole. Zimmerman said Behenna
learned about Mohammed from a local Iraqi elder that he visited often and
took the platoon to take Mohammed from a house on May 5. Behenna had a special
interest in the detainee and even sat in on his interrogations, but Zimmerman
said that the military ultimately decided to release him. "Behenna decided he
wanted one more opportunity to learn who the big fish in this area were and
he knew that Ali had given names before," Zimmerman said. On May 16, the platoon
dropped off another detainee and were supposed to release Mohammed as well,
but soldiers in the platoon said Behenna ordered them to take a detour away
from the city and into the desert. The soldiers stopped near
some railroad tracks and Behenna took Mohammed, who was blindfolded and had
his hands tied. Once out of the sight of the
rest of the convoy, Zimmerman said Behenna started ordering an Iraqi
translator known only in court as "Harry" to tell Mohammed to give
him names of insurgents. Zimmerman said Harry told
Mohammed that he would be killed if he didn't and Behenna stripped him naked
to humiliate him into talking. Eventually Zimmerman said
Behenna decided to escalate the interrogation by pointing his gun at
Mohammed, but the defense attorney stopped short of describing what happened
when the detainee was shot. Mohammed was hit once in the head and once in the
chest. Roberts said that Warner was
just returning to the culvert when he heard the first shot and saw Mohammed
slumping over and then saw the second shot in his chest. "The accused (Behenna)
murdered a naked and defenseless detainee," Roberts told the panel, made
up of seven officers. But Zimmerman said that if
Mohammed's death had been premeditated, Behenna wouldn't have brought Harry
along. "You do not take a
translator to an execution," he said. Zimmerman also said that the
prosecution's key witness, Warner, was also facing a charge of premeditated
murder until he pleaded guilty to assault in exchange for his testimony. After the shooting,
prosecutors said Behenna ordered Warner to burn the body with an incendiary
grenade and dispose of his clothes. The body was found the next day by Iraqi
police. External link: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090223/NEWS01/90223003 |