Iraq Sunni (Awakening Leader) guard wanted for grave crimes - US

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, March 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. general said on Monday that the Sunni Arab patrol leader arrested by Iraqi forces in Baghdad on Saturday was suspected of committing serious crimes while under the watch and sponsorship of U.S. forces.

The arrest of Adil al-Mashhadani, the head of a local neighbourhood guard unit in the downtown Fadhil district, led to a firefight between Iraqi forces and his supporters. Three people were killed, at least two of them civilians.

Major-General David Perkins, spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq, told journalists that Mashhadani was suspected of links to bomb-making cells, kidnappings, extortion and the Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda network. Some of the crimes were allegedly committed while he led a U.S-backed patrol unit, he said.

"There's a very long list of things... The warrant was 2008 and there was a series of recent events," he said.

...

When asked why the U.S. military did not detain Mashhadani earlier instead of continuing to pay and support him, Perkins replied: "When you're building a legal case, you have to make sure these things stand up in court, that you have proof."

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