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Royal Marines arrested in murder inquiry
12 October 2012
The ministry said the arrests related to an "engagement with an insurgent" and that no civilians were involved.
Reports suggest that the murder allegations may have been made by a fellow marine who witnessed the alleged incident, which is said to have taken place in 2011, while 3 Commando brigade were deployed in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
Professor Michael Clarke, director general of the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the allegations may involve Marines shooting an insurgent they "might otherwise have detained or questioned".
"This will be dealt with by the Service Justice system," he said, "and the fact it's happened now may be there was some evidence emerging and the MoD wanted to keep control of this rather than have the story become lurid. It gives them some control over this whole situation."
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The Royal Military Police have arrested seven Royal Marines on suspicion of murder. The arrests relate to an incident in Afghanistan in 2011.
"The incident followed an engagement with an insurgent; there were no civilians involved. The investigation will now be taken forward and dealt with by the service justice system.
"These arrests demonstrate the department and the armed forces' determination to ensure UK personnel act in accordance with their rules of engagement and our standards.
"It would be inappropriate to make any further comment while the investigation is under way."
"As with any serious incident of this nature, there will be an internal review to identify lessons learned. The nature of that review will reflect the developments in and, in due course, the outcome of the investigation," the spokesman said.
HAVE YOUR SAY
12 October 2012
If this is in anyway true the marines involved should be dealt with under due process and if found guilty given an immediate dishonourable discharge, however i do have one slight concern that any judgement on these men will be made outside the heat of battle in a safe clinical courtroom by i suspect people who have no idea what it is like to be in a life or death situation in a war zone where you are having to make instant decisions on life or death including your own which under normal circumstances would be abhorrent to anyone with a sense of decency.
andy - solihull
12 October 2012
Andy - solihull
Murder is the charge, and will have to been proven. Putting this case aside. If hypothetically a British soldier were murdered by an enemy would you be asking for a dishonourable discharge and talking about the "heat of battle"?
Jeremy - Newcastle
12 October 2012
Jeremy - Newcastle
I have seen people do things in the heat of battle, or during and after a contact that they would not ordinarily do. Your blood is up, you are scared, you could be angry, I remember afterwe lost two people to an IED in Iraq, driving through a village where the inhabitants were cheering the deaths of two British Soldiers, the same villagers that a couple of days before were thanking us for all the aid items, food, clothing etc we distributed there, I was so angry, I just wanted to open up on them.
In their defence we were an occupying Army and in their shoes I would have done exactly the same, my feelings at the time were anger at the cowardly IED attack, sadness at the loss of two very good young men, and frustration at the circumstances of the attack. All emotions felt in the heat of the moment, and I along with the rest of the unit had the self control and discipline to be restrained.
Until we know the facts surrounding the incident with the Marines we should not judge them, as long as they are allowed a fair hearing where all the facts are presented and the Marines state of mind is taken into account. We can't ask for more. If they have commited cold blooded murder then . . . . As Andy says.
Rob - Telford
12 October 2012
Jeremy - Newcastle
Yes you are right i should have added if found guilty the punishment should be the same as any charge of murder a civilian would have against them, however i believe there is a difference between what happens in the heat of battle on both sides and someone who rather cowardly plants ever sosphiticated and brutal IED's.
andy - solihull
15 October 2012
As 'Rob-Telford' quite rightly says without knowing the facts or the circumstances leading up to the alleged incident we certainly shouldn't judge them, it is to be hoped that the media exercise the same constraint, though I somehow doubt that.
Clearly some evidence has come to light that prompted the investigation and this was sufficient to warrant a charge. As we know this is the only course of action whereby the full facts can be formally tested under the law. There is no alternative course of action and we, the wider public and particularly the media should not pre-judge anyone nor speculate on the outcome of what will hopefully be a fair trial.
Hereman - Wirral, England