President Trump on Monday granted a full pardon to a former Army lieutenant who previously served five years in prison for fatally shooting an Iraqi man in American custody. During a deployment in Iraq in 2008, First Lt. Michael Behenna and his platoon believed the man, Ali Mansur, was a terrorist linked to Al Qaeda. They took him to a remote part of the Iraqi desert to question him about a previous attack that left two American soldiers dead, according to court filings. During the interrogation, Lieutenant Behenna shot Mr. Mansur in the head and chest. Mr. Behenna has said he acted in self-defense and that Mr. Mansur had thrown a piece of concrete at him and reached for his gun.

Source: New York Times May 07, 2019 03:15 UTC