May 28 court-martial for Haditha officer

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif., May 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marines announced that a court-martial would begin Wednesday for an officer involved in the investigation into an alleged massacre in Haditha, Iraq.

Marines Lt. Andrew Grayson faces charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements to investigators looking into the 2005 deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians.

A written statement from the Marine Corps said the proceedings at Camp Pendleton, Calif., would last at least a week.

Grayson was ordered to face a court-martial late last year after investigators alleged he had attempted to conceal evidence about the slayings.

The killings occurred in November 2005 after a roadside bombing in Anbar province killed one member of the unit and reputedly sparked a shooting spree by the survivors. Grayson was not at the scene but was the immediate commander of the unit.