WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- Evidence has emerged U.S. Marines deliberately killed an unarmed Iraqi civilian in April in the town of Hamdaniya, CNN reported Tuesday.
A military source with knowledge of a U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation told the network the victim, identified by Knight Ridder as Hashim Ibrahim Awad, was dragged from his home and shot by Marines, who placed a shovel and AK-47 next to him to make it appear he was an insurgent.
"They went after someone, not necessarily this person, but they set out to get someone," the officer said of the findings.
Seven Marines and a Navy medical corpsman are being held in the brig at California's Camp Pendleton, and four other Marines have been confined to base in connection with the probe.
The source said murder charges are likely to be filed in the next few days.
The investigation is separate from two others involving an alleged massacre of 24 civilians at Haditha last November.
