Saturday, August 05, 2006

Ex-CIA contractor David Passaro to stand trial in Afghan beating

tampabays10.com
Ex-CIA contractor David Passaro to stand trial in Afghan beating


RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A former Special Forces medic who was working as a CIA contractor in Afghanistan is scheduled to go on trial Monday for allegedly beating an detainee so severely that he later died.

David Passaro is the first civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He'll be tried in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Passaro isn't charged with the detainee's death. Instead, the North Carolina native faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault resulting in serious injury. If convicted, he could get up to 40 years in prison.

Prosecutors say the USA Patriot Act allows the government to charge U.S. nationals with crimes committed on land or facilities designated for use by the U.S. government.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

No comments: