SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES
9:54 a.m. May 5, 2005
CAMP PENDLETON – A Camp Pendleton Marine corporal caught on videotape fatally wounding an unarmed Iraqi insurgent in a Fallouja mosque will not face charges, military officials said today.
Maj. Gen Richard F. Natonski said a review of the tape showed that the corporal, whose name has not been released, broke no rules and will not be punished for the Nov. 13, 2004 shooting.
"The actions of the Marine in question were consistent with the established rules of engagement, the law of armed conflict and the Marine's inherent right of self-defense," according to a statement released by Natonski, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
Natonski ordered an investigation shortly after the shooting, which was caught on tape by embedded NBC correspondent Kevin Sites.
The tape showed the Iraqi hiding his left arm behind his head, but insurgents commonly feigned surrender or death before they attacked Marines, Natonski said.
The corporal admitted to killing three Iraqis in the mosque, "believing they posed a threat to him and his fellow Marines," according to a Marine Corps statement.
Natonski said autopsy reports, ballistics tests and interviews with 22 Marines with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment who helped storm the mosque in Fallouja were part of the investigation.
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