Trial starts for 3 Americans in Afghan private-jail case

By Stephen Graham
The Associated Press

EMILIO MORENATTI / AP Americans Jonathan Idema, center; Edward Caraballo, left; and Brett Bennett, charged with running their own private prison and torture chamber in Kabul, stand trial yesterday in the Afghan capital. The judge gave them two weeks to prepare their defense.

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KABUL, Afghanistan — Three Americans went on trial yesterday on charges they tortured eight prisoners in a private jail, with the group's leader saying he had tacit support from senior Pentagon officials who once offered to put his team under contract.

The U.S. military says the men were freelancers operating outside the law and without their knowledge.

Jonathan Idema, Brett Bennett and Edward Caraballo were arrested when Afghan security forces raided their makeshift jail in Kabul on July 5.

Standing before a three-judge panel in a heavily guarded Afghan national-security court, the men listened quietly to the charges — including hostage taking and "mental and physical torture."

Three of their former captives described being beaten, held under water and left without food.

In a lengthy pretrial statement to the media, Idema claimed he was working with the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, a position established by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as preparations were made for the Iraq war.

At his trial, which was adjourned and is set to resume in about two weeks, Idema said he would produce recordings of phone conversations, e-mail records and faxes to prove his claims. The Christian Science Monitor reported he named Heather Anderson, the acting director of security for Stephen Cambone, the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, as his main point of contact.

"We were in touch with the Pentagon, at the highest level, sometimes five times a day," said Idema, who wore military khakis and dark sunglasses. "Miss Anderson in fact applauded our efforts and told us in a phone conversation that in fact they wanted to place us under contract."

Cambone has supported the use of private contractors in investigative work, according to published statements. He came under fire when the Iraqi Abu Ghraib prison inquiry broke when it came to light that his office had approved interrogation practices that human-rights activists say violate the Geneva Convention.
 
A Pentagon official, who requested anonymity, says "the only communication between the Department and Mr. Idema occurred when a routine security check was made to determine his status. That's it."

The background check was triggered by Idema's attempts to contact the Department of Defense, the official says.

Idema was in the Army reserve from 1975 through 1984. He did receive special-forces training, the official said.

An official from the U.S. Embassy observed the trial but declined to comment on the proceedings, in which only one of the Americans had a lawyer.

Judge Abdul Baset Bakhtyari adjourned the case for two weeks to give the three Americans and the four Afghans accused of helping them time to prepare their defense.

There was no attorney for Idema, a bearded former soldier once convicted of fraud, who appeared in court in a khaki uniform with a reversed U.S. flag on the shoulder.

Idema's sunglasses completed a look that once fooled even NATO peacekeepers, who sent explosives experts to help him with three raids before realizing they had been duped into thinking he was with U.S. special forces.

Idema, who is reportedly 48, told reporters his group had halted a plot to blow up the main U.S. military base with fuel trucks and assassinate Afghan leaders. "We're talking about world-class terrorists," he said.

He also said his group delivered suspects to American special forces in the past.

The American military says it has no idea what motivated Idema's group, which flew into Afghanistan on April 14. But there were indications they were intent on making money.

Idema, who claims to have fought the Taliban in 2001-2002, offered protection for journalists and hawked purported al-Qaida training videos to television networks. The Fayetteville, N.C., native is featured in a book about the Afghan war called "Task Force Dagger: The Hunt for bin Laden."

There is a $50 million reward for bin Laden.