Decorated US Navy SEAL to Face Court-Martial for Charges, Including Premeditated Murder in Death of Young ISIS Fighter
Hopefully NBC San Diego will follow this case. The Article 32 Hearing is over and the case is moving to trial at a general court-martial. I have seen cases in the Army where special operators stack the panel (jury) and they often come back with not-guilty verdicts. How well this guy is thought of in the special forces community will have a large bearing on the case.
That last part certainly looks bad.A decorated Navy SEAL will face court-martial for charges including premeditated murder in the death of a young ISIS fighter in Iraq, NBC 7 has confirmed.
Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher faced an Article 32 hearing in November at Naval Base San Diego. During the hearing, U.S. Navy prosecutors accused Gallagher of premeditated murder for the stabbing death of an injured ISIS fighter who they estimate was about 15 years old. The stabbing happened in Mosul, Iraq, in May 2017.
Gallagher is also charged with aggravated assault for shooting Iraqi civilians.
Special Operations Chief Gallagher has denied the charges. He will be arraigned at Naval Base San Diego on Friday.
The Navy outlined its evidence, including cellphone photos that show Gallagher holding up the head of the deceased fighter during a reenlistment ceremony.
That evidence is considered privileged and was not shown in court because it could be used as propaganda by enemies of U.S. troops.
The government also said it had a video of the Iraqi fighter before he was killed.
Prosecutors also presented evidence that they say shows that Chief Gallagher tried to bribe fellow SEALs not to talk about the incident to NCIS investigators.