The Hindu : International : U.S. 'vigilantes' produced in court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 19, 2004

International

International

U.S. 'vigilantes' produced in court

Kabul: Three Americans accused of detaining and abusing Afghans on an independent hunt for terrorists appeared in court on Sunday, insisting they had contacts with the U.S. Defence Department, while acknowledging that they ran an illegal jail, a judge said. U.S. and Afghan authorities deny any links to the men, describing them as freelance vigilantes on a personal quest to fight terrorism. The trio, led by a former soldier named Jonathan K. Idema, and four Afghans face charges of hostage-taking and assault over the detention of 11 men in a house in the capital. They could be jailed for up to 20 years if convicted. The men wore military fatigues and were able to fool both Afghan police and NATO peacekeepers into thinking they were legitimate. Afghan security forces raided the makeshift prison and arrested the seven defendants on July 5 after peacekeepers realised they were impostors. Abdul Baset Bakhtyari, the presiding judge, said later that the hearing was called to inform the defendants to prepare their defence for full proceedings next week. The judge also gave new details of the charges against them, including alleged abuse of detenus.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International