US Navy SEAL cleared in Iraq abuse case

[variablebinary]

Good! What a bullshit case


US Navy SEAL cleared in Iraq abuse case
(AP) – 41 minutes ago
BAGHDAD — A U.S. military jury has cleared a Navy SEAL in an abuse case involving an Iraqi prisoner accused of masterminding an attack that left four Blackwater security contractors dead.
1st Petty Officer Julio Huertas, 28, was the first of three Navy SEALs to go on trial for the alleged assault. He was not accused of abusing the prisoner but of failing to safeguard him and attempting to influence the testimony of another service member.
The six-member Navy panel cleared Huertas of both charges on Thursday.
The Iraqi prisoner was accused of planning the 2004 killings in which the guards' charred bodies were dragged through the streets. Two were then hanged from a bridge over the Euphrates River.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
BAGHDAD (AP) — A jury is beginning its deliberations in the court-martial of a Navy SEAL accused of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding an attack that killed four American contractors.
The six-man jury was expected to come back with a verdict later Thursday. Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas did not testify in his own defense.
The 28-year-old is the first of three SEALs to go on trial for the alleged assault. He's not accused of abusing the prisoner but of failing to safeguard him and attempting to influence the testimony of another service member.
The Iraqi testified he was beaten and a U.S. sailor told the court he saw the prisoner punched once. But defense witnesses cast strong doubt on the testimony of both men.

[d90king]

:D:D:D:D:D:D
Excellent way to start my day.

[perna]

The bad part is there are 2 others that have to stand trial.

[rickrock305]

The fact this even made it to trial is ridiculous.

[Ranger325]

Outstanding!!
It made it to trail because the sailors refused non-judical punishment and forced the command to go to trail by courts martial for this very reason.

[ThirdWatcher]

The jackasses behind this are truly unfit to lead.

[Buckaroo]

Very good news!

Prayers for the other SEALs to have the same verdict!

Indeed, this should never have gotten any traction to begin with.

Buckaroo

[loupav]

The fact this even made it to trial is ridiculous.

Exactly. It should have ended with a "good job boys, here's some chow and some ammo for the next one."

I can't believe the world we live in now. :rolleyes:

[boggyboy72]

Agreed.

They risked their lives to get this guy,So what if They smacked Him around a little.

Now if He was beaten half to death or set on fire,dragged down the street and hung from a bridge......

[Don Robison]

Now if He was beaten half to death or set on fire,dragged down the street and hung from a bridge......


I'd still buy them a beer.

[boggyboy72]

A beer,Hell a case.Each.:D

[VooDoo6Actual]

OUTSTANDING NEWS !

[Don Robison]

A beer,Hell a case.Each.:D


I didn't say how big a beer.

[Grayling14]

Excellent! Maybe common sense will carry the day. Hopefully the same verdict will be forthcoming in the trials for the two remaining SEALs.
It is ridiculous that charges were brought against them in the first place. Yes, we, (as a country and a people), need to hold ourselves to a higher moral standard than the fanatical murdering cowards that we are at war with, but you can't effectively fight a war with your hands tied behind your back. Unfortunately, the liberals believe that capitulation and accommodation are realistic strategies in the war on terror. History shows us the folly inherent in that mindset, and we continue to follow it at our peril.

[RudyN]

I didn't say how big a beer.

I like that beer. I would buy him two and I don't even drink.

[MAUSER202]

The jackasses behind this are truly unfit to lead.

This is the qwote of the day!

[arizonaranchman]

Glad to see this verdict. Makes sense to me. In war you have to get rough sometimes. This chicken-shit stuff of trying guys for hurting their feelings is absurd. Do what you have to do to get the info you need. If they don't like it then they should remember next time before they instigate a war against us.

[SeriousStudent]

That is superb news!

But please remember these warriors have some pretty steep legal bills. It's possible to contribute to their legal defense funds.

Their troubles are not fully over - they still have a serious financial hill to climb.

[chizuck]

That is the best thing I have heard all day.

[nfranco]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8641326.stm

Second US Navy Seal cleared over 'assault'


A second US Navy Seal has been cleared of helping to cover up the alleged beating of an Iraqi suspected of killing four Blackwater guards.
A Navy judge found Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe not guilty of dereliction of duty, officials said.
Earlier this week Petty Officer Julio Huertas, 28, was also found not guilty of dereliction of duty.
A third sailor court martialled over the alleged abuse of Ahmed Hashim Abed is yet to go on trial.
Mr Abed was arrested last September and is accused of masterminding the killing of four Blackwater private security guards in Falluja in 2004.
Their bodies were dragged through the streets, burned and hung from a bridge.
PO Keefe was not charged with assaulting Mr Abed, but of failing to protect him in the hours after he was captured and brought to a US military base.
In the previous court martial, a US sailor told the court he saw Navy Seal PO Matthew McCabe punch Mr Abed.
He said PO Huertas and PO Keefe were in the room at the time of the assault.
PO Huertas and PO Keefe were tried in Iraq, as Mr Abed cannot leave the country. PO McCabe will go on trial in May.
US security firm Blackwater is at the centre of controversy surrounding the "outsourcing" of war, where private contractors take on tasks normally carried out by soldiers.

[SeriousStudent]

Let us keep praying for a clean sweep, with all three warriors acquitted of all charges.

I do hope their convening authority reviews this incident, and issues the appropriate "guidance" for their commanders. :mad:

[Mjolnir]

Okay, who among us would not be surprised they beat the shit out of the guys they captured? Raise your hand... It's war. They are SpecOps. I wouldn't expect them to bring me gum drops if they were ever sent after me. Good freakin' grief!

What a waste of MY money and a waste of time. Perhaps they should be sent to capture the weasel who ratted? :D

[Ranger325]

SEALS - 2
Gov't - 0

One more for the hat-trick...................

[rickrock305]

Okay, who among us would not be surprised they beat the shit out of the guys they captured? Raise your hand... It's war. They are SpecOps. I wouldn't expect them to bring me gum drops if they were ever sent after me. Good freakin' grief!



I would be surprised.

Navy SEALs are trained to uphold the values of honor and integrity and its something they take serious. Its part of their creed...


I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions regardless of circumstances sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast.

Add to that their extensive CQB training which trains them to dial up or down the aggression depending on the actions of their objectives.

Do I believe he tried to play tough and had to be possibly be put down a little rough? Sure. But I highly doubt they "beat the shit out of the guy"

[pgpd3147]

I'm glad to see they were found not guilty. My aunt-in-law is Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe's aunt. Good news for the family.

[Mjolnir]

I would be surprised.

Navy SEALs are trained to uphold the values of honor and integrity and its something they take serious. Its part of their creed...



Add to that their extensive CQB training which trains them to dial up or down the aggression depending on the actions of their objectives.

Do I believe he tried to play tough and had to be possibly be put down a little rough? Sure. But I highly doubt they "beat the shit out of the guy"
You may be right but I'd expect the worst if the tip of the spear were sent to nab me. And it wouldn't bother me because if I were worth all that trouble may as well wear a few scars to prove it. :p

[Alpha Sierra]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8641326.stm


Mr Abed was arrested last September ......

There's the root cause of all this bullshit. Pretending this is some sort of law enforcement issue.

This is a ****ing war. :mad:

[Irish]

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/05/05/prosecution-rests-in-navy-seal-matthew-mccabes-court-martial/

NORFOLK -The prosecution has rested its case in the military trial of 24 year old Matthew McCabe, the Navy SEAL accused of assaulting a suspected terrorist he had helped capture last September in Iraq. Ahmed Hashim Abed, accused of killing four American contractors in Fallujah six years ago, claims he was beaten while in the custody of McCabe and two other Navy SEALs.

Earlier, as prosecutors called their witnesses, Navy Petty Officer Third Class Kevin Demartino, who is not a SEAL, testified that he saw McCabe deliver a "right punch to the chest" of his detainee.

Demartino was in charge of the detention facility where the disputed incident occurred, and was responsible for the prisoner's safety. He testified that after he witnessed the assault, three Navy SEALs left the detainee's cell. Demartino says Abed had fallen from his chair to the floor and there was blood coming from under the prisoner's hood.

A Navy commander who was in charge of all American forces in Fallujah at the time, also testified today. He says he noticed Abed's bloodied mouth the next morning and asked Demartino what had happened, but didn't get an answer.

Asked on cross examination why he said nothing at first about the alleged assault, Demartino told the court "I had a choice of being in good graces with the Navy SEALs or being in good graces with God." Demartino admits he's guilty of dereliction of duty for not immediately reporting what he saw.

Abed is the alleged mastermind of the grisly attack on four Blackwater contractors who were ambushed and killed in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004. Their bodies were burned and dragged through the streets as crowds cheered. Two of the bodies were hanged from a bridge over the Euphrates River.

This is the second day of testimony in the case of McCabe, the Navy SEAL from Perrysberg, Ohio. A seven member jury is hearing the case, presided over by a Judge Advocate General, Captain Moira Modelewski. Two other SEALs faced trial in Baghdad and were found not guilty last month. Demartino gave the same testimony in those earlier trials.

Abed's taped testimony was heard in open court Tuesday. He said he was handcuffed and blindfolded and placed on a chair in the holding cell. He claims he was hit on the back and shoulders and knocked to the floor. He says he was kicked in the stomach and sworn at while he was down. But he says he could only see one person's feet and legs from under his hood and cannot identify his assailant.

The defense claims Al Qaeda detainees are trained to claim abuse and that Abed caused his own lip to bleed.

Abed testified in person during the previous two trials, but the defense in this case declined the opportunity to confront the accuser in court. If McCabe's lawyers had wanted Abed to testify in person, the trial would have been held in Iraq, where Abed remains a prisoner of the Iraqi government.

In his testimony Wednesday, Petty Officer Demartino said two of the Navy SEALs in the holding cell at the time of the alleged assault basically told him not to worry about any injuries to Abed. On the witness stand, Demartino says he was told by Pettty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, "Don't feel bad for this guy." And, according to Demartino, Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas said, "He's killed Americans." Keefe and Huertas are the two SEALs earlier acquitted in this case.

[thopkins22]

So...dude saw an enemy of the United States get titty punched and next thing you know we're off to the courts? That's just fantastic.:rolleyes:

[SIGguy229]

http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/05/05/prosecution-rests-in-navy-seal-matthew-mccabes-court-martial/


So after all the alleged "abuse"---the bad guy has a bloody lip??

Nope....

IMO, verdict: Not Guilty...here are your hunting tags, no bag limit

[bubabootie]

my personal opinion is that the detainee was lucky he didn't just get capped. I admire the restraint of the SEALs for only punching the guy, allegedly.

War is difficult. There are incalculable gray areas.

Again personally, i don't believe civilians should be allowed to single out soldiers and exploit their sacrifices and mistakes. Until they are in a similar situation, i dont want to hear shit. I want them to buck up, back their damn president they elected. He told us to go, we went, did our best.

[Abraxas]

What a waste of MY money and a waste of time. Perhaps they should be sent to capture the weasel who ratted? :D

Yep;)

[Sudden]

Check this out.

Prosecution's Star Witness in SEAL Case Discredited

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36866