A military tribunal at Fort Bragg, North Carolina has sentenced Sergeant Hasan Akbar to death for an attack on his own regiment that killed two American soldiers and injured 14 others. He threw a grenade at the soldiers to start the attack which took place during the early days of the American-led invasion of Iraq.

The jury deliberated for seven hours before its 15 members voted in favor of executing Akbar. Akbar gets an automatic appeal of the sentence under the rules of the military court. If the appeal is denied, the execution would be carried out by lethal injection.

Sergeant Akbar was permitted to make a statement to the jury prior to sentencing. It was not made under oath and he could not be cross examined by prosecutors. Akbar spoke for less than one minute and in a very low voice that could hardly be heard, even by those standing close to him. Akbar did try to apologize for his actions.

'I want to apologize for the attack that occurred. I felt that my life was in jeopardy, and I had no other options. I also want to ask you for forgiveness,' Akbar said.

The defense had claimed Akbar was mentally ill and could not have planned the killings. They never denied Akbar's participation in the murders. Akbar said he was upset that U.S. soldiers would be killing fellow Muslims and felt that he had to act.

Akbar now becomes one of five military personnel on death row. The last U.S. military execution took place 44 years ago when Private First Class John A. Bennett was executed for raping an 11-year-old Austrian girl in 1961.