New light on the Nick Berg case: US contractors ‘tortured’ for talking to the FBI

http://mparent7777-3.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-light-on-nick-berg-case-us.html

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For those new to the case, a brief summary follows …

Nick Berg was a 26 year-old US businessman of Jewish extraction. He was a specialist in radio communications tower repair and construction. Although Berg was, by all accounts, a supporter of George Bush and the US invasion of Iraq, his father, a member of the Democracy Now! group, was an open opponent of the war.

In Iraq, Berg found a commercial partner in Aziz al-Taee, a seedy Iraqi businessman, previously resident in the US, who was an associate of the Iranian-aligned Shiite businessman, Ahmad Chalabi. Aziz had an interesting criminal record in the US but had been instrumental in organising pro-invasion rallies before the war. It is likely that Berg combined his own fledgeling business endeavours with simple commercial intelligence-gathering for others.

Berg also had Iraqi relatives resident in Mosul. It was during a visit to Mosul, on 24 April 2004 that he was arrested by the Iraqi Police at a checkpoint because his Jewish name and Israeli stamps in his passport aroused suspicion. He was reportedly carrying a Farsi phrase book and anti-Zionist literature.

The Iraqi police turned Berg over to US military custody where he was interviewed on three occasions by the FBI. Berg was already well known to the Bureau. It is a curious fact that, while briefly a student at Oklahoma University, and before the events of 11 September 2001, his computer user ID had been used by Zacarias Moussaoui. The FBI had investigated this incident but found him innocent of any wrongdoing. The 911 investigator Michael Wright unearthed evidence supporting the view that Berg was working under CIA supervision at OU, perhaps spying on some of the alleged 911 hijackers who were living nearby at the time. Whatever the truth of this, suspicion must arise that Nick Berg was a part-time CIA operative and/or FBI informant. Certainly Berg made no complaints about his treatment by the FBI while he was in US custody in Mosul.

On 5 April, Berg’s father, who had learned of his incarceration from the US Consul in Baghdad, commenced legal proceedings for his release in the US Federal Court. The circumstances suggest that the US Consulate and the FBI spoke up for him. He was quickly released and offered a flight from Baghdad to Jordan. Reportedly he didn’t take up this offer, saying that he preferred to travel by road, with persons unknown whom he had somehow met. He left the al-Fanar Hotel on 10 April and disappeared.

No credible claim has ever surfaced that ransom demands were made, although Berg would have been a valuable, high-profile captive. A month later his decapitated body was found in Baghdad. Shortly afterwards, the infamous video of his decapitation, officially attributed to al-Qaeda, appeared on the internet. For George Bush, the timing was fortuitous, because the video provided a tailor-made “moral relativity”argument to bolster the US Government just as the story of the US torture of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib broke.

It is not difficult to see what might have happened in Berg’s case.

Remember that in early 2004, it was still possible for small-time would-be entrepreneurs like Berg to move about Iraq relatively freely. But operations by the Sunni and Baathist resistance were increasing. In late May, four US mercenaries were killed in an ambush in the Fallujah, a Sunni stronghold. The subsequent US attempt to subdue the city resulted in a minor disaster for US forces. A few days later US troops raided the offices of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, triggering a Shiite uprising. Suddenly, US troops were being attacked by the Shiites whom the US had relied upon to remain moderately well-disposed towards the occupation or at least neutral in relation to the escalating conflict with the Sunni and Baathist resistance. At the same time, in the US mainstream media, the view that the US had been tricked into invading Iraq on behalf of Iran began to be advanced. The fortunes of Ahmad Chalabi, until then something of a favourite with US ruling circles, suddenly plunged. The whole Neocon game-plan was falling apart. Behind the scenes rampant political confusion and paranoia would have reigned.


more.......


Family of Beheaded U.S. Man Releases Statement
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=547956

Body found on Baghdad overpass identified as that of
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=547236

CNN Transcript On Nick Berg Murder
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=550541

FBI Saw Berg During Iraq Police Detention
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=550119

Pa. family angry with American government over son's brutal death
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=547830

Parents blame Bush for son's execution
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=549188

Body found on Baghdad overpass identified as that of American
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=547236

Arab media disagree on story of beheading
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=551805

Reporter says Berg held in custody entire time by US authorities
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=551660

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=551186

Bush Condemns Execution of Berg in Iraq
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=550095

Beheaded hostage 'had been warned to leave Iraq'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=549507

FBI Saw Berg Before Beheading
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=550573

Berg worked at night on a Abu Ghraib tower
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=550780

CBS: Bizarre New Link in Berg Murder (Berg and Moussaoui)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=553244

CNN: Was Berg in U.S. custody? Answers conflict
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=554749

Diplomat's E-Mails Show Berg in Custody
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=552638

E-mails from U.S. consulate to Bergs
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=553391

Spokesman Says Berg Never Held by Forces
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=549641

The victim: More than work drew him to Iraq
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=551848

Diplomat's e-mails show Berg in custody
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=552645

Berg died for Bush, Rumsfeld 'sins' - father
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=552677

U.S.Iraq Consular Officer Payne)Diplomat's E-Mails Show Berg in US custody
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=552989

Al-Zarqawi Murdered Berg, CIA Concludes
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=553143

FBI told police to hold Berg
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=553087

Beheading not linked to Iraq prison scandal: White House
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=549888

Berg beheading: No way, say more medical experts
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=571473

CNN Breaking: 4 arrested in the Berg Murder (2 released)...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=571514

Beheaded man named on Free Republic's "Enemies List"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=551264

Bush: Berg's killers must be found
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=557156

Last days of Nick Berg a mystery
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=559749

US Gov't Disavows E-Mails About Berg's Detention
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=559647

EXECUTION: FOUR ARRESTED
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=563009

BERG MET WITH SHADY IRAQI (Berg's business partner was a Chalabi wannabe)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=560487

Three things immediately stood out about the video.

One, the chair and the yellow wall in the background matched the chair and yellow wall in the background of several of the Abu Ghraib pictures. It is entirely possible that the video was filmed in Abu Ghraib, which was controlled at that time by the U.S. military.

Two, the men dressed up in Iraqi-looking outfits were large, burly men wearing white tennis shoes. They looked like Americans. Their scarves were a mish-mash of patterns and were folded in many different styles. In short, whoever they were, they were wearing costumes.

Three, the man being beheaded looked like he was dead before they pulled out the knife. There was very little blood. If a living person had their head sawed off with a knife the blood would be horrific. The still-pumping heart would spray arterial blood all over. None of that happened.

The video was a fake.

I believe that Nick Berg died while imprisoned at Abu Ghraib, at the hands of American troops or mercenaries. I believe that the video of his alleged beheading at Iraqi hands was a fraud. I saw the video myself.

somebody has a lot of 'splaining to do.

Is that the one?

and didn't learn as much as I would have preferred.

This place was visited by a lot of red hot, wild and wooly people shrieking for Iraqi blood, and I just gave up. I backed away from reading more at the time.

It was obvious, even then, that some of DU's finest posters were seeing through that video from the very first, but their voices were drowned out by the noise from reactionary types.

Thank you so much for keeping the information together for a time cooler heads could prevail. Looks like there's a lot of important material to absorb.

:hi: :hug:

Those were the days, so many incredible intelligent thinking people, DU's finest, always searching for the truth.

It was used shamelessly by Busholini to counter Abu Grahib.

as a matter of coincidence is beyond belief. I don't buy it.

"...the view that the US had been tricked into invading Iraq on behalf of Iran began to be advanced."

as far as i recall this is the first time i've heard the suggestion that we invaded iraq on behalf of iran.

what had happened to Nick Berg. But I'm sure your date that you list of April 24 as his arrest date, should say March 24.