An Iraqi court on Monday declared a Hizbullah commander accused of
killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq in 2007 not guilty for lack of evidence and ruled
that he be set free.
The case of Ali Mussa Daqduq has been a thorn in diplomatic
relations between Baghdad and Washington since the American military pullout
last December.
U.S. terror experts have described Daqduq as among "the worst
of the worst" militants who would remain a severe threat to Americans if
freed.
U.S. officials say he trained Shiite militias in Iraq and helped
plot the 2007 killing of four American soldiers in the holy city of Karbala,
about 90 kilometers south of Baghdad.
Daqduq was captured late 2007 and held in U.S. custody in Iraq as
officials tried to decide where to charge him. When the American military left
Iraq late in December, U.S. officials were forced to hand over Daqduq to Iraqi
authorities — despite fears in Washington that he would be quietly freed by the
Shiite-led government in Baghdad.
"The judge found that there wasn't enough evidence to keep
him in jail and ruled to set him free for lack of evidence," Daqduq's
attorney, Abdul-Mahdi al-Mitairi, told The Associated Press after the
three-hour trial on Monday.
However, under Iraqi law the verdict will be appealed
automatically so Daqduq has still not been released, al-Mitairi said. He added
it was unclear when the court would decide on the appeal but it would take no
more than six months.
Charges against Daqduq included terrorism and forging official
documents.
Nine officials from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad attended the trial
in Baghdad's Central Criminal Court, the lawyer added. The U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad did not have an immediate comment.
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