2 SEALs arraigned in detainee abuse case

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Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew McCabe speaks to supporters Monday at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.


2 SEALs arraigned in detainee abuse case
By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 7, 2009 13:46:27 EST

NORFOLK, Va. — The Navy SEAL charged with assaulting an alleged terrorist in Iraq in September declined to enter a plea during his Monday arraignment here, then took the unusual step of speaking to supporters and the media after the proceedings.

“Neither I or any of my teammates did what they are accusing us of,” Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew McCabe told the group gathered at Norfolk Naval Station’s Gate 5. “If I had agreed to non-judicial punishment, I don’t believe I would have gotten a fair trial. I believe that in a trial, when all the evidence is heard, I will be acquitted.”

Still, McCabe, through his lawyer, Neal Puckett, declined to enter a plea. His trial was set for Jan. 19 in Norfolk. Along with the assault charge, McCabe also faces charges of dereliction of duty and making a false official statement.

“It’s routine not to enter a plea until all motions are heard,” Puckett said after the hearing. Puckett did request that charges against McCabe be read aloud in court, officially naming the alleged victim as Ahmed Hashim Abed, who the U.S. thinks masterminded the 2004 ambush in Fallujah in which four Blackwater security contractors were hanged and burned.

The military accuses McCabe of striking Hashim in the midsection in Camp Schweidler, Iraq, not long after SEALs captured the man.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/12/navy_seal_arraignment_120709w/