Posted on 01/12/2005 7:44:09 AM PST by Registered
US Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, charged with desertion in a mysterious case in which he left his unit in Iraq and turned up in Lebanon, has again gone absent and appears to have returned to Lebanon.
The US military has tracked records from bank machines indicating that Hassoun made his way to Canada and then back to Lebanon, the country of his birth, said a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Marine Corps formally declared him a deserter on Wednesday.
Major Matt Morgan, a Marine Corps spokesman at Camp Lejeune, said Hassoun did not return to the base and report for duty as required on Tuesday from an authorised leave over the New Year's holiday to visit his family in Utah.
A Marine Corps statement said that "his command officially declared him a deserter and issued authorisation for civil authorities to apprehend Hassoun and return him to military control".
"The Marine Corps did contact his family when he initially failed to show up yesterday (Tuesday)," Maj Morgan said.
"They were not able to provide any information that was helpful."
Hassoun disappeared last June from his unit in Iraq where he had worked as an Arabic interpreter and later turned up in Lebanon, stating he had been kidnapped by militants.
The Marines announced on December 9 that he had been charged with desertion, rejecting his account that he had been kidnapped.
Hassoun also was charged with loss of government property and theft of a 9mm military pistol.
Officials said additional criminal charges were now possible.
1 Check, 2 Check, 3 Check
Why was this guy ever released? This was the height of stupidity by our own government.
Shoot on sight
Thinking we need to do more stringent background checks on all of our Arabic interpreters. If the can interpret arabic to english, they can interpret english to arabic as well. We seem to have a prob with them.
Time to send a sniper after him...
Let's go get him, and then stop by Damascus while we're in the neighborhood and make Bashir give free dental cleanings to all!
I am SURE that the C.O. got or is getting hammered for NOT PRE-TRIAL CONFINING this turd.
Also it makes all translations he's ever done suspect. It's not a stretch to think he may have intentionally bungled words, omitted, added, and/or distorted messages to undermine the safety and efforts of his fellow Marines.
My sheltered little mind thinks we granted him leave for a reason. IMHO, we're tracking him by more sophisticated means than bank card usage.
Hey,maybe,somewhere down the road,we can get to watch a video of him being beheaded by his fellow "resistors" !
Maybe he's kidnapped himself again?
He must have felt the sudden need to join the Global Jihad. Again.
Hmmmmmm.......
< "The Marine Corps did contact his family when he initially failed to show up yesterday (Tuesday)," Maj Morgan said.
"They were not able to provide any information that was helpful." >
Make that "They would not provide..."
This guy goes on international flights like I go to the corner drugstore.
I thought I saw a news report yesterday where this guy was killed in a shoot out with the police. They showed a picture of him running around in camo with a rifle.
Yeah, seriously. Kill a couple of 'em and I imagine the memories of the rest will get a lot better.
Can you design a playing (poker) card of this guy to distribute for an APB?
About freaking time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.