Posted: 11/26/2009 6:26:59 AM EDT
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576646,00.html
Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com. The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial. Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it. Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers. Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault. Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement. Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation. Neal Puckett, an attorney representing McCabe, told Fox News the SEALs are being charged for allegedly giving the detainee a “punch in the gut.” “I don’t know how they’re going to bring this detainee to the United States and give us our constitutional right to confrontation in the courtroom,” Puckett said. “But again, we have terrorists getting their constitutional rights in New York City, but I suspect that they’re going to deny these SEALs their right to confrontation in a military courtroom in Virginia.” The three SEALs will be arraigned separately on Dec. 7. Another three SEALs — two officers and an enlisted sailor — have been identified by investigators as witnesses but have not been charged. FoxNews.com obtained the official handwritten statement from one of the three witnesses given on Sept. 3, hours after Abed was captured and still being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia. He was later taken to a cell in the U.S.-operated Green Zone in Baghdad. The SEAL told investigators he had showered after the mission, gone to the kitchen and then decided to look in on the detainee. "I gave the detainee a glance over and then left," the SEAL wrote. "I did not notice anything wrong with the detainee and he appeared in good health." Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January. United States Central Command declined to discuss the detainee, but a legal source told FoxNews.com that the detainee was turned over to Iraqi authorities, to whom he made the abuse complaints. He was then returned to American custody. The SEAL leader reported the charge up the chain of command, and an investigation ensued. The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that "Objective Amber" planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and "they had been tracking this guy for some time." The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq. The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph. Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September. The military is sensitive to charges of detainee abuse highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The Navy charged four SEALs with abuse in 2004 in connection with detainee treatment |
| I can't even put in words how much this makes me sick. We send these men to Iraq to fight a war and try to prosecute them for allegedly punching someone. Not to mention the someone mutilated 4 Americans. Maybe they should have just shot him and not had to deal with the assault charge. This is truly disgusting. |
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I remember when that happened. How my government could pull this shit off is beyond comprehension.
Socialites can get into a White House dinner undetected, and BRAVE SEALs are being prosecuted for capturing (and punching) awww... Terrorists? As long as we have a Muslim in charge, we will not win (anything). 
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Quoted:
I remember when that happened. How my government could pull this shit off is beyond comprehension. Socialites can get into a White House dinner undetected, and BRAVE SEALs are being prosecuted for capturing (and punching) awww... Terrorists? As long as we have a Muslim in charge, we will not win (anything). What Joe Said!
i hope the the next High value target who gets caught, gets dealt a 62Gr Green tip! Double Tap, center of mass....NEXT. |
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This is one of the main reasons I'm not enlisted. If you want me to go to war, fine. But I need to be able to freaking shoot everything I see, and not wind up in prison.
I wouldn't have been able to capture any of these bastards knowing that they would get a trial. Every one would be DOA. After some gentle questioning of course. |
| I think in court they should present two pictures to the jury. One of the the guys hanging off the bridge and one of the terrorist and ask who looks like they have suffered more. I have had it with the bullshit that our politicians are letting the Iraqi government get away with. They are willing to put the lives of our guys at risk so the Iraqi's can have the illusion they are in control. F- that. F-nation building. We blew it up, you rebuild it. Next time think before you act. It further embodies the kinder gentler mindset of our current government and leftist society. We should be ashamed that the SEAL's event have to deal with this B.S. "Excuse me sir... are you the terrorist that killed the Americans, burned their bodies and hung them off the bridge?" Yes? Please come with us if you don't mind...." Somehow I don't think that approach works. |
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I can't even put in words how much this makes me sick. We send these men to Iraq to fight a war and try to prosecute them for allegedly punching someone. Not to mention the someone mutilated 4 Americans. Maybe they should have just shot him and not had to deal with the assault charge. This is truly disgusting. I totally agree this is a pile of B.S. that these professional solders have to deal with this crap, They should have put two in the chest and one in the head and been done with it! |
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Quoted:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,576646,00.html Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com. The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called a captain's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial. Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it. Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers. Matthew McCabe, a Special Operations Petty Officer Second Class (SO-2), is facing three charges: dereliction of performance of duty for willfully failing to safeguard a detainee, making a false official statement, and assault. Petty Officer Jonathan Keefe, SO-2, is facing charges of dereliction of performance of duty and making a false official statement. Petty Officer Julio Huertas, SO-1, faces those same charges and an additional charge of impediment of an investigation. Neal Puckett, an attorney representing McCabe, told Fox News the SEALs are being charged for allegedly giving the detainee a “punch in the gut.” “I don’t know how they’re going to bring this detainee to the United States and give us our constitutional right to confrontation in the courtroom,” Puckett said. “But again, we have terrorists getting their constitutional rights in New York City, but I suspect that they’re going to deny these SEALs their right to confrontation in a military courtroom in Virginia.” The three SEALs will be arraigned separately on Dec. 7. Another three SEALs — two officers and an enlisted sailor — have been identified by investigators as witnesses but have not been charged. FoxNews.com obtained the official handwritten statement from one of the three witnesses given on Sept. 3, hours after Abed was captured and still being held at the SEAL base at Camp Baharia. He was later taken to a cell in the U.S.-operated Green Zone in Baghdad. The SEAL told investigators he had showered after the mission, gone to the kitchen and then decided to look in on the detainee. "I gave the detainee a glance over and then left," the SEAL wrote. "I did not notice anything wrong with the detainee and he appeared in good health." Lt. Col. Holly Silkman, spokeswoman for the special operations component of U.S. Central Command, confirmed Tuesday to FoxNews.com that three SEALs have been charged in connection with the capture of a detainee. She said their court martial is scheduled for January. United States Central Command declined to discuss the detainee, but a legal source told FoxNews.com that the detainee was turned over to Iraqi authorities, to whom he made the abuse complaints. He was then returned to American custody. The SEAL leader reported the charge up the chain of command, and an investigation ensued. The source said intelligence briefings provided to the SEALs stated that "Objective Amber" planned the 2004 Fallujah ambush, and "they had been tracking this guy for some time." The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq. The four Blackwater agents were transporting supplies for a catering company when they were ambushed and killed by gunfire and grenades. Insurgents burned the bodies and dragged them through the city. They hanged two of the bodies on a bridge over the Euphrates River for the world press to photograph. Intelligence sources identified Abed as the ringleader, but he had evaded capture until September. The military is sensitive to charges of detainee abuse highlighted in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The Navy charged four SEALs with abuse in 2004 in connection with detainee treatment this is wholly offensive to me. i new and worked with scott and as far as i'm concerned the puke who was the mastermind behind his murder as well as mike teague should have gotten a lot more than a fat f'ing lip. |
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This sort of prosecution will likely do one of two things: men like these SEALs will stop trying because they know they cannot win when cut off at the knees by the CIC, or they will create the silent pact that they will simply no longer take prisoners.
I dont like either. Those guys deserve medals and accolades. |
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This sort of prosecution will likely do one of two things: men like these SEALs will stop trying because they know they cannot win when cut off at the knees by the CIC, or they will create the silent pact that they will simply no longer take prisoners. I dont like either. Those guys deserve medals and accolades. I like option 2. Don't ask , don't tell. Take no prisoners. Kill em all. Let God sort em out. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
This sort of prosecution will likely do one of two things: men like these SEALs will stop trying because they know they cannot win when cut off at the knees by the CIC, or they will create the silent pact that they will simply no longer take prisoners. I dont like either. Those guys deserve medals and accolades. I like option 2. Don't ask , don't tell. Take no prisoners. Kill em all. Let God sort em out. Option 2 is more likely to happen from now on. It should have been option 2 from the start. |
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