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NEWS RELEASE HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND 7115 South Boundary Boulevard MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894

September 20, 2004
Release Number: 04-09-68


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


ILLEGAL WEAPONS BRING INSURGENTS THREE YEARS IN PRISON

BAGHDAD - In two separate court cases on Sept. 19, the Central Criminal Court of Iraq found four individuals linked to Anti-Iraqi Forces guilty of possessing illegal weapons, with each of the defendants receiving three-year prison terms.

In the first case, Soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Division stopped a suspicious vehicle June 11 in the New Baghdad area after it made an abrupt u-turn to evade their patrol and picked up two individuals hiding in mounds of dirt and scrap. Upon searching the car, the Soldiers found three explosive devices, a 60-mm mortar round with a remote detonation transmitter attached, a 155-mm artillery round, a triggering device and other materials related to emplacing improvised explosive devices.

The defendants claimed during the trial that they were caught with scrap metal, not explosives. A 1st Cavalry Division Soldier also presented testimony. The three defendants - ages 37, 30 and 22 - were all found guilty and each given three-year sentences.

In a separate case, Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force stopped the defendant's car at a routine traffic control point April 16 and found a Dragihov sniper rifle, two AK-47 rifles, ammunition and a high-powered infrared scope.

The defendant denied the charges. After reviewing the evidence and considering testimonies, the court found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to three years in prison.

To date, the Central Criminal Court of Iraq has tried 69 cases involving 108 suspected insurgents for anti-Iraqi activities targeting MNF-I and threatening the security of Iraq. These proceedings resulted in 78 convictions and 30 acquittals, with sentences ranging to 30 years imprisonment.

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