শুক্রবার, ১ জুন, ২০১২

Army adds charges against Afghan shooting suspect

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2011 file photo provided by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales participates in an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Bales' attorney said Friday, June 1, 2012, that the U.S. Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against him in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan. Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians - instead of 17 - in a pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March, 2012. (AP Photo/DVIDS, Spc. Ryan Hallock, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 23, 2011 file photo provided by the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales participates in an exercise at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. Bales' attorney said Friday, June 1, 2012, that the U.S. Army has dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against him in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan. Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians - instead of 17 - in a pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March, 2012. (AP Photo/DVIDS, Spc. Ryan Hallock, File)

(AP) ? The Army dropped a murder charge, but added others, including steroid use, against a soldier accused in a deadly shooting rampage in Afghanistan, his lawyer said Friday.

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is now accused of gunning down 16 civilians ? instead of 17 ? in a pre-dawn raid on two Afghan villages in March.

Bales attorney Emma Scanlan said she received the new charges Friday and that there was nothing surprising in them. There had been talk for some time that the number of victims in the massacre had been over-counted.

"We

Bales now faces 16 counts of premeditated murder; six of attempted murder; seven of assault; one of possessing steroids; one of using steroids; one of destroying a laptop computer; one of burning bodies; and one of using alcohol.

"At some point, steroid use could become an issue in this case, and where he got it could become an issue in this case," said Bales' other lawyer, John Henry Browne. He declined to comment further.

Bales, a father of two from Lake Tapps, Wash., is accused of walking off the base where he was deployed in southern Afghanistan with a 9 mm pistol and M-4 rifle outfitted with a grenade launcher.

Officials say he walked to two local villages, where he killed the villagers and then burned some of their bodies.

Bales is based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, but is being held at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

___

AP National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Associated Press

easter eggs pineapple upside down cake free ecards flying car masters golf tournament the replacements how to hard boil eggs

কোন মন্তব্য নেই:

একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন