Soldiers Cleared in Giuliana Sgrena Shooting
U.S. soldiers have been cleared in the shooting of Italian Giuliana Sgrena and her bodyguard by a joint American-Italian board.
GIS CLEARED IN ITALIAN’S DEATH (New York Post)
U.S. soldiers reportedly have been cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of an Italian journalist and an intelligence agent last month in Baghdad. U.S. military officials told NBC News that a joint American-Italian investigation found the soldiers acted properly in firing on a car bearing a just-freed hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, and an intelligence officer, Nicola Calipari.
The car was about 130 yards from a checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights to get it to stop. They fired warning shots when the car was within 90 yards of the checkpoint, but at 65 yards, they used deadly force. Calipari was killed and Sgrena wounded.
Good news, although it’s unlikely to satisfy many.
For background, see the many OTB posts on the Giuliana Sgrena incident.
Correction: Original headline and text referred to Sgrena’s “death.” She received only minor wounds in the incident, which killed the Italian agent who was protecting her. OTB regrets the error.
It really would have been a drag if they’d been prosecuted for her death…she is, after all, still alive (okay, okay, I know what you meant…).
Yes, this wins my misleading headline of the day award.
OTB regrets the error.
So should we consider this your “Albom moment”? 🙂
Jim Henley is claiming (http://highclearing.com/index.php/archives/2005/04/16/4144) that a report says that Italian investigators weren’t allowed to examine the car
(http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4397936).