Nick Berg/Rumsfeld/Prison scandal time line

[HamdenRice]

There have been a number of time lines concerning the last days of Nick Berg. I thought it would be interesting to combine that time line with the Rumsfeld and prison abuse hearings time line:

March 24 - Berg told his family he was leaving Iraq on March 30. Communications from Berg cease.

March 31 - the FBI go to Berg's parents home. The parents were relieved to know their son was alive, but in jail. The agents questioned them about various details that only they and their son would know about. FBI spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, said the agency was "asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."

April 5 - the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military in Iraq. Rumsfeld is a defendant, so he would have been served papers in Washington.

April 6 - Nick Berg was released. According to the Berg family he has been in custody for 13 days, indicating he was detained on March 24, the day he told his family he was leaving Iraq.

April 9 - Berg disappears again.

May 1 - Iraqi prison abuse scandal breaks

May 1-6 - stories appear about the Berg family trying to find their son

May 5 - Bush leaks that he is unhappy with Rumsfeld and there is widespread speculation that Rumsfeld will have to resign.

May 7 - Rumsfeld testimony. Oddly, the tremendous press focus on the prison scandal takes the pressure off the Falluja and Najaf stories. US forces begin their assault on Shiite militias in the South inflicting very heavy casualties.

May 7-9 - Rumsfeld is under pressure to resign

May 10 - Bush expresses confidence in Rumsfeld after Pentagon meeting. Bush says Rumsfeld will not be asked to resign.

May 11 - Nick Berg murder video is discovered and/or publicized on an Islamic website during Congressional hearings over the Iraqi prison abuse scandal.

[TNOE]

1. Only correction/addition

Supposedly Nick Berg's body was found either the weekend of May 8/9 or May 10 - both have been stated.

[HamdenRice]

2. body vs video?

Yes, the body was reported discovered about then, but the video on an islamic website is what broke the story nationally. I believe that the video was "discovered" right in the middle of the congressional hearings.

[goodhue]

4. body found May 8, video posted May 11

according to this account . . .

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/132/nation/Pennsylvania_family_of_man_who:.shtml

Pennsylvania family of man who was beheaded cries when learning details
By Jason Straziuso, Associated Press, 5/11/2004 14:24

WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) The family of a businessman who was beheaded after he was captured in Iraq cried Tuesday when they learned details of his videotaped death.

A video posted Tuesday on an Islamic militant Web site showed the beheading of Nick Berg, 26, of West Chester, whose family last heard from him April 9. It said the execution was carried out by an al-Qaida affiliated group to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers.

Berg's family said earlier Tuesday that they were told by the U.S. State Department that Berg was found dead near a highway overpass in Baghdad on Saturday.

When told of the video by an Associated Press reporter, Berg's father, Michael, and his two siblings hugged and cried. They knew he had been decapitated, but didn't know the details of the killing.

''I knew he was decapitated before. That manner is preferable to a long and torturous death. But I didn't want it to become public,'' Michael Berg said.

[lockdown]

3. Returned to Iraq because of job offer?

Berg was first in Iraq in Dec/Jan then returned in March, possibly that was because of work he was apparently offered by Harris Corporation, which has a contract with the Iraqi Media Network. Earlier reports said he'd been told there might be work coming up or something vague like that, maybe he was talking up a mention of possible work in the email below.

Email from Nick Berg, dated January 18th.
The other big news was the announcement Friday morning (9 Jan 2004) that the Harris/Al-Fawares/Lebanon Broadcast Company consortium had finally been awarded the new IMN contract. With out getting too technical, this is a one year (at least) contract to operate and rehabilitate the former Ministry of Information, Minister Naji's turf.

The reason this is good news is that we were announced as Harris's approved tower sub-contractor about two days before the award, and we have been working with Al-Fawares since I met one of their guys in early December.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/8651712.htm?1c

So he intended to leave on March 30th but was prevented from doing so by his captivity. Sickener. If he had received a firm offer of work, presumably those employers would've vouched for him. Maybe they did but it wasn't enough to get him released.

His family said Berg had already intended to leave the country on March 30 but that his detention prevented him from doing so.

Berg first worked in Iraq in December and January and returned in March. He was inspecting communications facilities, some of them destroyed in the war or by looters.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-15/1084428648228340.xml

[newyawker99]

6. Hi lockdown!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[goodhue]

7. yes

He missed his March 30 plane due to detention. His father had even gone to the airport in Philly to meet him, but he did not show up. The Bersg subsequently learned of his dentention and sued Rummy, whereupon he was released.

[camero]

5. There's another timeline here

That seems to raise more questions surrounding his death and how it could be being used as a propaganda tool. I'm not sure how much I can vouch for it at this point but the timeline seems to be nearly the same as an attack on IDF forces in Gaza awhile back where an accident was turned into an excuse to bomb.

http://home.att.net/~professorboris/SPECTRE/Nick_berg.htm

The Isreali story is here:

http://home.att.net/~professorboris/SPECTRE/APC_Bomb.htm

[goodhue]

9. thanks for link but

The linked web site says Berg was killed April 7.
In fact by all accounts he called his parents on April 9.
And he is reported to have checked out of hotel on April 10.

[camero]

11. It's ok

I thought that that point would be under dispute. That's why I didn't know how much stock to take in it. It does raise some interesting questions that need to be looked at.

[goodhue]

8. kick n/t

[goodhue]

10. April 9

You state "Berg disappears again."
I think it would be more accurate to state "Berg last talks to parents."
If I recall correctly he reportedly checked out of hotel April 10. So presumably his disappearance is on the 10th or shortly thereafter.