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CNN Live Today
Grenade Attack Case: Akbar Hearing
Aired June 16, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: But up first this hour here on CNN, the case of the man accused of killing his fellow American soldiers during the Iraq war. Sergeant Asan Akbar today faces the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing.
The details now from CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
Well this so-called Article 32 hearing is now underway for Sergeant Asan Akbar, underway at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he has been held in custody since that March 22 attack in Kuwait when he attacked, it is alleged, some of his fellow soldiers.
Now Sergeant Akbar is a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He is facing two specifications or charges, if you will, of premeditated murder and three specifications or charges of attempted murder in this attack, indeed, that killed 2 officers and injured 14 when he allegedly threw grenades into three tents where his fellow soldiers were sleeping.
This Article 32 hearing underway today at Fort Knox is expecting to last, actually, the entire week. There are some 39 witnesses being called, 24 of them are defense witnesses that are being called. Some will appear in person, some will appear by video as they are still on deployment.
Now, unlike in civilian grand -- some civilian grand jury proceedings, Sergeant Akbar will have the opportunity, through his attorneys, to cross-examine witnesses, to actually examine his own witnesses. He has four military attorneys in this proceeding. And as you said earlier, the next step would be, after there is a finding, if he is found that there is sufficient evidence to proceed, then there will be a court marshal. But this hearing will last the entire week and there could be some results about a week after that -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Barbara, let's turn back to Iraq and look at what's happening over there right now. U.S. soldiers there continuing to be targets there. Any word there at the Pentagon about a change in plans?
STARR: Well, no, not at the moment. What they say is these missions, these operations they've been on for the last several days, they feel that is the way to go, to try and go after targeted areas where they feel they have solid intelligence that there might be loyalists to Saddam Hussein, loyalists to the Ba'ath Party and go in there.
What they are doing, however, is combining that with some additional humanitarian assistance, some additional relief. Because what they feel they don't want to do, here at the Pentagon, is send military forces into towns and villages, conduct raids and then have more bad feelings amongst the local citizens. So they're trying to do these stability, if you will, these enforcement operations, combine those with some aid and try and keep the goodwill of the people of Iraq while they search down some of these Ba'ath Party loyalists -- Leon.
HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thanks, as always, Barbara.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 16, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: But up first this hour here on CNN, the case of the man accused of killing his fellow American soldiers during the Iraq war. Sergeant Asan Akbar today faces the military equivalent of a grand jury hearing.
The details now from CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Good morning -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
Well this so-called Article 32 hearing is now underway for Sergeant Asan Akbar, underway at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he has been held in custody since that March 22 attack in Kuwait when he attacked, it is alleged, some of his fellow soldiers.
Now Sergeant Akbar is a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He is facing two specifications or charges, if you will, of premeditated murder and three specifications or charges of attempted murder in this attack, indeed, that killed 2 officers and injured 14 when he allegedly threw grenades into three tents where his fellow soldiers were sleeping.
This Article 32 hearing underway today at Fort Knox is expecting to last, actually, the entire week. There are some 39 witnesses being called, 24 of them are defense witnesses that are being called. Some will appear in person, some will appear by video as they are still on deployment.
Now, unlike in civilian grand -- some civilian grand jury proceedings, Sergeant Akbar will have the opportunity, through his attorneys, to cross-examine witnesses, to actually examine his own witnesses. He has four military attorneys in this proceeding. And as you said earlier, the next step would be, after there is a finding, if he is found that there is sufficient evidence to proceed, then there will be a court marshal. But this hearing will last the entire week and there could be some results about a week after that -- Leon.
HARRIS: All right, Barbara, let's turn back to Iraq and look at what's happening over there right now. U.S. soldiers there continuing to be targets there. Any word there at the Pentagon about a change in plans?
STARR: Well, no, not at the moment. What they say is these missions, these operations they've been on for the last several days, they feel that is the way to go, to try and go after targeted areas where they feel they have solid intelligence that there might be loyalists to Saddam Hussein, loyalists to the Ba'ath Party and go in there.
What they are doing, however, is combining that with some additional humanitarian assistance, some additional relief. Because what they feel they don't want to do, here at the Pentagon, is send military forces into towns and villages, conduct raids and then have more bad feelings amongst the local citizens. So they're trying to do these stability, if you will, these enforcement operations, combine those with some aid and try and keep the goodwill of the people of Iraq while they search down some of these Ba'ath Party loyalists -- Leon.
HARRIS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thanks, as always, Barbara.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
