The Marine Corps will charge seven Marines and one sailor with murder in connection with the death of an Iraqi civilian in April according to sources inside the Defense Department.
The eight suspects will be charged late on Wednesday. They are presently being held in the brig at Camp Pendleton in California where they are awaiting formal charges.
The alleged incident took place in the Iraqi town of Hamdania in April 26. According to the complaint, the American troops took an Iraqi civilian from his home without provocation and shot him to death. The accused Americans are all from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
The charges in this case are not related to the alleged massacre of Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November. The investigation into that incident is ongoing.
The investigation into the Hamdania case was ordered on May 24 by Major General Richard C. Zilmer, the commander of all Marine forces in Iraq. Zilmer issued the order after a preliminary investigation indicated there was sufficient evidence to continue looking at the incident.
