By Waleed Ibrahim Waleed Ibrahim – 1 hr 41 mins ago
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi forces detained five U.S. security contractors in connection with the killing of a fellow American contractor last month in Baghdad's Green Zone, an Iraqi government spokesman said on Sunday.

Major General Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said the five men were being held at an Iraqi police station in the capital's heavily-fortified central district while a joint Iraqi-U.S. committee investigated.

The detainees could become the first Americans to face local justice since a bilateral security pact came into force at the start of this year making U.S. contractors subject to Iraqi law.

"There are no formal charges against them so far, but they were detained because of the murder of the contractor last month," Khalaf told Reuters.

Citing an unnamed Iraqi official involved in the investigation, CNN said the men had been detained on Friday in a pre-dawn raid on their company's office in the Green Zone.

The murdered contractor, James Kitterman, was a 60-year-old Texan who owned a construction company operating in Iraq.

Kitterman was found bound, blindfolded and stabbed to death on May 22 in the heavily-fortified district.

Citing unnamed sources, CNN said the five men knew the victim and that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was involved in the probe into his death.

Heavily-armed and highly-paid Western contractors are a common sight in Iraq, especially in the Green Zone, also known as the International Zone. Many provide security for the U.S. military in Iraq while others protect private firms.

A U.S. Embassy spokesman in the Iraqi capital confirmed five U.S. citizens were taken into custody by Iraqi authorities.

"Embassy consular officials have visited the five and ensured they are being afforded their rights under Iraqi law. The men appeared well," the U.S. spokesman told Reuters.

The security agreement between Washington and Baghdad sets terms for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and establishes guidelines for their activities while they remain.

It also allows U.S. troops to be tried in Iraqi courts -- but only in cases of serious, premeditated crimes committed while soldiers were off-base and off-duty.

Private contractors, previously immune to prosecution in Iraq, are now wholly bound by Iraqi laws.

Under the pact, U.S. combat troops were scheduled to withdraw from Iraqi towns and cities by the end of this month, while all U.S. troops must leave the country by December 31, 2011.

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I would think Iraqi punishments are worse than anything Texas could do

must have the patriot act in iraq as well



no charges but being held


interesting

they must be terrorists

maybe it's "no formal charges" until they get the evidence they need?

yep just like the patriot act and military commissions say it


i thought one of the reasons we went there was to prevent unjustified persecution

they need charged or released

or we went there for naught

and those that died died for nothing

just a change in who hands out the injustices

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IMO...the patriot act was for a purpose that has been long gone or ONLY in extreme cases....but I think everyone needs a trial....from terrorists to shoplifters. giving the president that much power goes against our foundng fathers...JMO

but hey...I know as much as you

Why don't they just call them what they are, Mercenaries.

what were they contracted to do?

that is like your local store gets robbed and someone gets killed but no video but they think you did it so they pick you up and hold you till they can ""find"" the evidence they need




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per your post

many provide security for those that pay them

hmmmm...where's is my sherlock holmes cap and pipe?????

well, blackwater employees don't behave as decent security guard personnel. instead, they act like mercenaries and go on indiscriminate killing rampages. i hope that the Iraqi government would ban such companies from operating on their soil.

in every conflict there have always been mercenary "contractors". for example the Prussians fighting for the Americans during the Revolutionary War. or the French Foreign Legion

and its no surprise to incarcerate them until a case can be built. They do it here. In America a person can be held for 48 hours before habeus corpus kicks in

US contractors murdered another US contractor. A 60 YEAR OLD MAN! I couldn't find the motive

we are only getting about 10% of the story

it could be that he was collaborating with the terrorists

or that the other "contractors" were just evil killers

or just about anything

but either way people will twist and distort the story to reflect whatever are their own agendas

its a conspiracy i tell ya, a big [BEEP]ing conspiracy

I can't imagine why security people would murder a 60 year old construction company owner