My post this morning at 8:24 am...
A year ago, Abdul Wali went to a U.S. base in Afghanistan on his own accord and surrendered to authorities. They suspected him of participating in rocket attacks against the base and he wanted to clear things up.
Three days later, according to a grand jury indictment handed down here, Wali died in a cell after being beaten by a CIA contractor who used his hands, feet and a large flashlight.
The contractor, 38-year-old David A. Passaro, was charged Thursday with two counts each of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon the flashlight. He was not charged with murder because no autopsy was performed to establish a cause of death, justice officials said. ABC article
So what are we saying here? Perhaps the man died of a heart attack while being beaten? Natural causes, huh?
ABCNews article just now appearing on Google Newspage:
Lawyer Says Afghan Detainee Died From Heart Attack, Not Alleged Assault by CIA Contractor
The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. June 18, 2004 — A lawyer for the former CIA contractor accused of fatally beating an Afghan detainee said Friday the prisoner died from a heart attack while in custody.
The contractor and former Army special operations soldier, 38-year-old David A. Passaro of Lillington, was charged Thursday with two counts each of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon a flashlight. He has a detention hearing scheduled Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court in Raleigh.
...Civilian attorney Gerald Beaver of Fayetteville said he has a transcript of an Islamic radio broadcast from June 27, 2003, in which an Afghan official said an examination showed Wali died of a heart attack.
...The transcript provided by Beaver from Mashhad Radio in Iran said "heart disease has been given as the cause of death of an Afghan national who was being held in detention by U.S. forces in Asadabad city, the centre of Afghanistan's Konar Province."
The report quoted the governor of Konar Province where the prison is located and said there were no signs of assault on the body.
..."His story is he's innocent," Beaver said. "That's all I can tell you."
The Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. June 18, 2004 — A lawyer for the former CIA contractor accused of fatally beating an Afghan detainee said Friday the prisoner died from a heart attack while in custody.
The contractor and former Army special operations soldier, 38-year-old David A. Passaro of Lillington, was charged Thursday with two counts each of assault and assault with a dangerous weapon a flashlight. He has a detention hearing scheduled Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court in Raleigh.
...Civilian attorney Gerald Beaver of Fayetteville said he has a transcript of an Islamic radio broadcast from June 27, 2003, in which an Afghan official said an examination showed Wali died of a heart attack.
...The transcript provided by Beaver from Mashhad Radio in Iran said "heart disease has been given as the cause of death of an Afghan national who was being held in detention by U.S. forces in Asadabad city, the centre of Afghanistan's Konar Province."
The report quoted the governor of Konar Province where the prison is located and said there were no signs of assault on the body.
..."His story is he's innocent," Beaver said. "That's all I can tell you."
This is not my home planet. That's all I can tell you.
Except....I want to go home.
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