LT Andy Ledford acquitted

[trident86]

U.S. SEAL innocent of abusing Iraqi suspect lawyer

By Marty GrahamFri May 27, 5:06 PM ET

A lawyer for a U.S. commando whose platoon beat a suspected Iraqi insurgent asked a jury to exonerate him, arguing a conviction would hand a victory to a "terrorist" who died in U.S. custody.

A jury of six Navy officers began deliberations on Friday afternoon in the court-martial of U.S. Navy Lt. Andrew Ledford, a SEAL commander who led his platoon on numerous missions against suspected Iraqi insurgents in 2003.

The case stems from a predawn raid Ledford led on an apartment building south of Baghdad in November 2003 to capture or kill Manadel al-Jamadi, a suspect in a bombing of Red Cross offices in Iraq that killed 12 people, according to testimony.

Navy SEALs have testified they kicked, punched and struck the hooded and handcuffed al-Jamadi after taking him prisoner in a brief and violent encounter.

Al-Jamadi was then turned over to the CIA at a U.S. military base near Baghdad airport. He died several hours later in Abu Ghraib prison.

A picture of al-Jamadi's corpse was widely published, showing him packed in ice with a large bandage below his right eye.

"Manadel al-Jamadi may accomplish in his death what he could not do in his
life: take out a Navy SEAL team," said defense lawyer Frank Spinner.

Ledford, 32, is charged with assault, conduct unbecoming an officer, making false statements and dereliction of duty. He faces more than 11 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

"There is nothing in this case to suggest the Navy SEALs were responsible for al-Jamadi's death," said Spinner, who called the Iraqi prisoner a "terrorist."

"Were they supposed to give him tea and cookies on the way from his apartment to a CIA interrogation?" Spinner asked rhetorically. He argued that international rules governing the treatment of war prisoners did not apply.

Among the most highly charged pieces of evidence against Ledford was a photo showing him clutching a can of Red Bull energy drink next to five other SEALs and a hooded prisoner posed at the back of a Humvee.

In a written statement, Ledford also told Navy investigators in July 2004 he had slapped al-Jamadi on the arm and told him in Arabic to shut up. On the stand, Ledford denied that.

Navy prosecutor Charles Olcutt argued that Ledford knew al-Jamadi was being beaten by his men and did not stop it.

"We set the standard in the world for how we treat detainees, and the U.S.
Navy SEALs carried the standard. This is a case of failed leadership and accountability," Olcutt told the court.

There is a separate investigation by the Justice Department into the possible involvement of CIA interrogators into al-Jamadi's death and the deaths of two others.

Ledford's court-martial has been marked by exceptional secrecy with some of the key testimony -- including descriptions of how dangerous al-Jamadi was believed to be -- conducted in private to protect classified information.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050527/...dc_2&printer=1

[trident86]

Ledford is now a Lieutenant Commander, BTW. He's currently running the entire Memorial Service for our fallen guys in Hawaii, and doing a kick a$$ job!