Marines in Afghan shooting case ‘will become targets if names are revealed’
Lawyers say three men accused of killing injured insurgent would have their lives put at risk if they were identified
The lives of three Royal Marines accused of murdering an injured Afghan insurgent would be under threat from Islamist extremists should their identities be revealed, their defence teams have argued.
If they are convicted of the crime they will have to be closely protected in prison but even if they are acquitted radicals will still seek retribution for the insurgent’s death, it has been claimed.
The board – the military equivalent of a jury – that has heard the trial of the marines, so far identified only as A, B and C, is considering its verdict. Marine A is accused of shooting the man dead while B and C allegedly helped and encouraged him. All three deny murder.
Before the trial the judge advocate general Jeff Blackett ordered that the marines must not be identified after ruling that their lives would be in real and immediate danger if he did so.
He has refused to release a video of the incident – captured on a head-camera worn by B – because of fears that it would be used as a recruiting tool by extremists groups and prompt lone wolves to take revenge.
The video shows A shooting the man in the chest, telling him: “Shuffle off this mortal coil, you cunt,” and instructing his fellow marines: “Obviously this doesn’t go anywhere, fellas … I’ve just broken the Geneva convention.”
An audio recording of the footage – which includes the moment when the insurgent was shot – was released on Thursday. A accepts he opened fire but claims he believed the man was already dead. B and C say they did nothing to help or encourage A and were shocked when he shot the man.
Media organisations including the Guardian – and the prosecution – have asked for the anonymity order to be lifted, arguing there is no proof that there is a real and immediate threat to their lives.
Clare Kissen, for the media, said that if they were jailed they would be safeguarded in prison; if they were acquitted the men would have been exonerated and the threat lessened. She argued that in the interest of open justice the men should be identified.
Peter Glenser, for Marine A, said the threat to the men before the trial was deemed so great that the Ministry of Defence put in place extra security measures for them. Because of the details that have come out during the trial the risk to them must have “increased dramatically” he said.
Glenser said killings and serious attacks did take place in prison and extremists would not respect the decision of the court if they were found not guilty and would seek vengeance anyway. The names of the men would “go viral” within moments of their names being released, he said.
The former intelligence officer Anthony Tucker-Jones said it would be “catastrophic” for the three if their names were published. They would become “poster boys” for Islamist radicals.
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