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Ex-CIA Contractor Free on Bail Until Trial
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A former CIA contractor charged with beating a suspected terrorist in Afghanistan who later died must be released from jail so he can better help prepare his defense, a federal judge ruled. David Passaro, 39, will be released Friday from Wake County jail. The judge, in a ruling signed Tuesday, ordered Passaro to post a property as bond and wear an electronic monitor. He was forbidden to have contact with his ex-girlfriend, ex-wife and child.
That will certainly help him focus ...
While in Afghanistan, the former Army special operations soldier helped the U.S. military hunt terrorists, gather intelligence and train the country's armed forces. Authorities said Passaro kicked and beat an Afghan suspect named Abdul Wali with his fists and a flashlight for two days before the prisoner died. Wali was being questioned about a series of rocket attacks on a remote firebase housing U.S. and Afghan troops in Afghanistan's mountains.

Passaro has denied any role in the prisoner's 2003 death. He claims the military made him a scapegoat in the wake of the Abu Ghraib scandal. He is the first U.S. civilian to face prisoner abuse charges stemming from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He is charged with assault and could get 40 years in prison if convicted. No trial date has been set.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-03-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=145615