BobD
05-05-2005, 01:25 PM
No Court-Martial for Marine
Thursday, May 05, 2005
SAN DIEGO — A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday.
A review of the evidence showed the Marine's actions in the shooting were "consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict," Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, said in a statement.
The corporal was not identified in the two-page statement issued by Camp Pendleton, where the division is headquartered, north of San Diego.
"Based on all the evidence in the case, and the rules of engagement that were in effect at the time, it is clear the corporal could have reasonably believed that the AIF [anti-Iraq forces] shown in the videotape posed a hostile threat justifying his use of deadly force," the statement said.
In his sworn statements, the corporal said he shot three "anti-Iraq forces" in self-defense in that building on Nov. 13, 2004, believing that they posed a threat to him and his fellow Marines, the statement said. Autopsy results showed that all three died of multiple wounds from gunshots fired from the corporal's M-16.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
SAN DIEGO — A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday.
A review of the evidence showed the Marine's actions in the shooting were "consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict," Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, said in a statement.
The corporal was not identified in the two-page statement issued by Camp Pendleton, where the division is headquartered, north of San Diego.
"Based on all the evidence in the case, and the rules of engagement that were in effect at the time, it is clear the corporal could have reasonably believed that the AIF [anti-Iraq forces] shown in the videotape posed a hostile threat justifying his use of deadly force," the statement said.
In his sworn statements, the corporal said he shot three "anti-Iraq forces" in self-defense in that building on Nov. 13, 2004, believing that they posed a threat to him and his fellow Marines, the statement said. Autopsy results showed that all three died of multiple wounds from gunshots fired from the corporal's M-16.