Prosecution to offer rebuttal in SEAL trial

Breaking News

Fox News' Steve Centanni gave an update on the trial for Navy SEAL Matthew McCabe at approximately 11:25 a.m. on Thursday. Centanni said the prosecution will offer a rebuttal to the defense. That means we may get a verdict today, but it's more likely to come later.

Centanni said SEAL Julio Huertas testified from Iraq. Huertas, who was cleared of all charges related to the detention and treatment of alleged terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed, contradicted testimony from the government's key witness Kevin Demartino who is also a sailor but not a SEAL. Huertas is one of a number of witnesses who dispute Demartino's account.

Ongoing coverage of the SEALs' trials is archived at The US Report. We thank Fox News, one of the only major media outlets offering balanced continuous coverage of these trials. Excellent coverage of McCabe's military trial has been provided by Dwight Sullivan at CAAFlog. [Filed by Kay B. Day]

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[Editor's Note: For more information and regular updates, visit Support the Navy SEALs who Captured Ahmed Hashim Abed. To contribute to funds for the SEALs’ civilian defense, visit Maritime Tactical Security. The US Report has covered this story extensively. To read previous columns about the SEALs, enter the words 'Navy SEALs' in the search box in the right column.]

SEALs attorneys say airport shut down after trial

by Kay B. Day

Author Betty Kilbride is donating $4 for each book sold to the SEALs defense fund.Two attorneys for US Navy SEALs tried in Baghdad on various charges related to safeguarding a detainee who is an alleged terrorist said the airport shut down after the trials. “The Ministry of Transportation shut down air space when the trials concluded,” said Monica Lombardi, attorney for SO 1st class Julio Huertas. Lombardi appeared on Fox and Friends on Wednesday morning with Greg McCormack, attorney for SO 2nd class Jonathan Keefe.

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Military jury clears Navy SEAL Huertas in trial at Camp Victory

Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas has been cleared of “willfully” failing to safeguard a detainee in a military trial held in Camp Victory located in Baghdad (Iraq). The verdict came on Thursday.

Huertas and two of his fellow SEALs faced an assortment of charges in a case that galvanized hundreds of thousands on Main Street and quite possibly antagonized some politicians.

Social media websites like Facebook as well as sites like Maritime Tactical Security and individual bloggers kept up with a case largely ignored by corporate media with the exception of Fox News. David Lussier, founder of the Facebook page Support the Navy SEALs who captured Ahmed Hashim Abed, kept supporters informed at every turn including developments from other support sites.

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Resolution honoring Navy SEALs lingers in subcommittee

SEAL on night ops. [Photo from official US Navy SEAL website]In December Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.) introduced H Res 977 and on January 21, 2010, the resolution was referred to the House subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.

The official title of the resolution is lengthy: “Honoring Navy SEALs Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, and Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas for their heroic actions in the capture of Ahmed Hashim Abed, the mastermind behind one of the most notorious crimes against Americans in Iraq.”

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Navy SEALs’ case stronger with immunity for witnesses and good results from lie detector

The Washington Times says the case is weakening against 3 Navy SEALS facing various charges over the detention of a suspected terrorist in Iraq. The Times said, “Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland last week signed grants of immunity for five Navy colleagues of the accused.” The paper said some of those receiving immunity "are expected at trial to flatly contradict the prosecution's key witness..."

And The Times reported a surprise development in the SEALs' case at a fundraising rally in Scottsdale (Ariz.).  Petty Officer Matthew McCabe announced he had passed an “independent lie detector test on the question, ‘Did you strike Abed?’

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Author hopes readers will buy book, help Navy SEAL3

Author Elizabeth Kilbride said readers who want to help the SEALs should type the word 'SEAL' in the special instruction box at the publisher site online.Betty Kilbride spent time with soldiers on the front lines in Iraq, and after she returned to the U.S., she recounted her experiences in the book ‘Soul of American Warriors.’ Kilbride’s narrative presents a striking contrast to most media accounts of what happens in a war zone. Kilbride and Father's Press, the publisher of her book, have pledged to contribute $4 from the sale of each book to a defense fund for 3 Navy SEALs who face different allegations about the treatment of an Iraqi detainee believed to be involved in the murder and desecration of American contractors.

Kilbride has deep roots in the military—her father and brother served in two different branches.

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