|
| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 7, 2005 |
| |
The Israeli officer accused of shooting a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in an outlawed practice known as "verifying the kill" was released from arrest and returned to active service Sunday, an Israeli military official said, after a soldier admitted he lied to the court.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a military judge ordered the release of the officer, known only as Lieutenant R., after a key witness in the case recanted testimony that R. had fired his rifle twice into the girl's body.
Lieutenant R. was in charge of a group of soldiers who fired at Iyman Hams as she approached a military observation post near the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 5. The soldiers said they thought she was planting a bomb. The girl's family said she was on her way to school.
Then, according to an army indictment, R. approached the girl's body and fired two more shots to insure she was dead. Palestinian doctors said at least 15 bullets hit her.
The military official said R. would not be returning to his former battalion but to another infantry unit. He said the judge had not dismissed the case against him but had decided R. was capable of carrying out his duties and did not constitute a threat to interfere with the progress of the trial.
R. has always maintained he came under fire from Palestinian gunmen at least 300 yards (meters) away as he approached the girl's body and shot at the ground to deter the fire.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
