Body found on Baghdad overpass identified as that of American

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) Relatives and U.S. officials said Tuesday a body found on a Baghdad highway overpass was that of an American civilian contract worker missing since April 9 the same day insurgents attacked a U.S. convoy west of the capital.

Also Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said one Russian energy company worker was confirmed dead and two others abducted Monday when gunmen fired on their car south of Baghdad. An Iraqi serving as a bodyguard and translator was wounded, said Yevgeny Loginov, spokesman for the Interenergoservis energy company.

~snip~


The body found on the overpass was identified as Nick Berg, 26, of West Chester, Pa., a self-employed civilian contractor. Berg's body, with signs of trauma, was found Saturday, the military said.

~snip~

Berg, who was in Baghdad from late December to Feb. 1, returned to Iraq in March. He didn't find any work and planned again to return home on March 30, but his daily communications home stopped on March 24. He later told his parents he was jailed by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint in Mosul.

''He was arrested and held without due process,'' his father, Michael, told the Daily Local News of West Chester. ''By the time he got out, the whole area was inflamed with violence.''

The Bergs last heard from their son April 9, when he said he would come home by way of Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait.

~snip~



more:http://www.boston.com/dailynews/132/world/Body_found_on_Baghdad_overpass:.shtml

[aquart]

1. "Trauma?"

Dog bite? Butt rape? Something specific and pointed?

[Mistress Quickly]

5. Chopped up?

Dragged through the streets? Burned and hung from a bridge?

[Bandit]

10. The article did not say that

Trauma as in bullet wound or head injury. But that is a good description of what our troops are doing to Iraqi children and women.

[Mistress Quickly]

15. huh?

American soldiers are chopping up, burning and hanging Iraqi women and children?

[leftchick]

17. nah, just raping and beating them...

read the Taguba report.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[boobooday]

2. he was held without due process?

Imagine that. I guess the Iraqis really are trying to adopt our "model."

I'm sorry for his family, but we are really reaping what has been sown here!



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[leftchick]

3. no due process?

why how amerikan!

[saigon68]

11. BLAME GENERAL MYERS BOYS ----LC

Due Process we don't need no STINKIN DUE PROCESS

HEY LYNNDIE IS THAT RAG HEAD HARD YET</SARCASM>

[Zero Gravitas]

20. Blame

George W. Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and co. they are the ones responsible for this.

[Say_What]

7. AKA the Chickens Comin' Home to Roost

eom

[PfcHammer]

16. "I guess the Iraqis really are trying to adopt our "model."" Yep,

especially if they find some glow sticks and booty trauma.

[daleo]

4. This seems strange

"Berg, who was in Baghdad from late December to Feb. 1, returned to Iraq in March. He didn't find any work and planned again to return home on March 30..."

No mention of what he was doing, or who he worked for during the two months - just some vague references to infrastructure. I think there will be more to this story.

[maddezmom]

6. thought so, too

What was he a "freelancer"? Didn't know getting in and out of Iraq was so easy....can anyone get a VISA?

[0007]

18. So this Berg guy was touring the country looking for work,

Did he have a vehicle, or use the old reliable Greyhound bus system. Did have an AK-47.

Can I go to Iraq just to bum around?

What strange story. Almost Walt Disney material, 'eh?

[Say_What]

8. How many hundreds of innocent Iraqis will have to pay for his death

[ret5hd]

9. self-employed civilian contractor...

i would guess, without knowing, cia

[saigon68]

12. NO ONE-- AND I MEAN NO ONE IS THERE W/O PERMISSION

This story stinks to high heaven.

[Dhalgren]

13. Yeah, I thought C.I.A., too.

[mike_c]

14. "arrested and held without due process....''

Notwitanding the lack of information in the article to substantiate this allegation, it would appear that if he was arrested he was held for at most a couple of weeks, not unnecessarily ill-treated, and then released, presumably after some investigation was concluded. That sounds like "due process" to me. Why was he arrested? By what "Iraqi officials?"

Sounds like a fish story to me.

[Tinoire]

23. See post 22. This story stinks as much as Rumsfeld's soul n/t

[maddezmom]

19. perhaps related? "Video Seems to Show Beheading of American "

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=2&u=/ap/20040511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_american_beheaded

[JNelson6563]

31. I guess beheading counts as "some trauma..."

Ugh.

[raj]

21. Video Seems to Show Beheading of American

Just saw this...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_american_beheaded&cid=540&ncid=1480

The video showed five men wearing headscarves and black ski masks, standing over a bound man in an orange jumpsuit who identified himself as an American from Philadelphia.

[Tinoire]

22. What BULL SHIT. Seems to me Nick Berg was killed by our own.

Sat, May. 08, 2004
West Chester contractor missing in Iraq

Associated Press

<snip>

He stayed until Feb. 1, making contact with a company that indicated there would likely be work for him later. But he returned on March 14 and there was no work, so he began traveling. He usually called home once a day and e-mailed several times; Michael Berg is his business manager, and they needed to stay in touch.

<snip>

When FBI agents arrived at the Berg's West Chester home on March 31, they were relieved to know their son was alive, but in jail. The agents questioned them about various details that only they and their son would know about.]

Jerri Williams, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI office, said the agency was "asked to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."

On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia, contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military in Iraq.

<snip>

Nick Berg said he would come home through Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait.

<snip>

The Bergs have hounded the State Department, the FBI and the International Committee of the Red Cross, seeking information. Michael Berg said the State Department sent an official to Nick Berg's hotel, where an employee told the official they had not heard of him.

<snip>

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/8621773.htm

Nick Berg was "travelling" on his own, not working.

The FBI demanding to know his "purpose" in Iraq

They filed a suit in federal court that the US military was illegaly holding him

Nick Berg, in order to get back home to the states, had to get to Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait to catch a flight? No airport in Iraq?

The "agents questioned them about various details that only they and their son would know about". Why? So these beheaded men that we can't identify could lure him? Film it? Provoke more outrage so the RW can excuse & snuff out the torture taking place at Abu-Ghaibr?


Sorry. Bull-shit alert. My theory right now. with the little information we have? Nick Berg knew something (Photos? What?), was in hiding, and was lured out to be executed by people on our side who are going to cynically exploit this beheading.

[Cooley Hurd]

25. ...and a queer remark from his mother...

Washington Post - 5/11 - Pa. Family IDs Dead Contractor in Iraq

Berg's mother, Suzanne Berg, said her son had been in Iraq doing contract work to improve the country's infrastructure and had been missing since April 9.

"He had this idea that he could help rebuild the infrastructure," she said.

Yep, he had this crazy idea that he would rebuild Iraq's infrastructure... you know how kids are... :eyes:

On edit: from the newest AP article:

The Bergs last heard from their son April 9, when he said he would come home by way of Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait. But by then, hostilities in Iraq had escalated.

Suzanne Berg on Tuesday said she was told her son's body would be transported to Kuwait and then to Dover, Del. She said the family had been trying for weeks to learn where their son was but that federal officials had not been helpful.

"I went through this with them for weeks," she said. "I basically ended up doing most of the investigating myself."

Have other US civilians killed in Iraq come home via Dover AFB (by military transport)? And why does the govt feel the need to be cagey with a concerned mother?? :grr:

This story is mighty stinky, IMHO...

[Tinoire]

26. MORE DETAILS. NICK BERG WAS INTEROGATED BY FBI for 2 weeks

Was Nick Berg maybe a "real" do-gooder? The type they don't want in Iraq?

:shrug:

There's something in this entire story making my radar go off.

=

On edit: Just found this:

26-year-old Nick Berg didn't sign a privacy waiver when he went over there.

And even though the State Department is using its one person in Iraq to help track him down, they can't tell anyone, including Berg's parents what's going on.

And that frustrates his mother Susanne.

"I'm just really scared, because we haven't heard from him for a month, and truthfully, nobody can even tell us whether he's dead or alive."

The local congressional delegation hasn't gotten any answers, either.

Nick last checked in April 9th, saying he was trying to find a safe way home following two weeks of FBI interrogation, after an arrest in Mosul.

<snip>

http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_128173423.html


No privacy waiver... He could have legally repeated any information he had.

[Cooley Hurd]

28. self-delete

need Iraqi geography lesson :dunce:

[Eye and Monkey]

29. "performed maintenance work on communications towers" (link)

http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11618145&BRD=1671&PAG=461&dept_id=17782&rfi=6

An independent civilian contractor who owns a business called Prometheus Methods Tower Service Inc., in West Whiteland, Nicholas Berg performed maintenance work on communications towers.

Last Dec. 21, he made his first trip to Iraq looking for work. He made plans to work with an Iraqi company and came home on Feb. 1.

[Tinoire]

30. More. FREEPER HATE THREAD from 3/7/04 about the BERGs

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1092851/posts

HERE IS THE ENEMY -- they have posted their names
A.N.S.W.E.R. | 3-7-04 | dfu

Posted on 03/07/2004 7:02:01 PM PST by doug from upland

Here you are, FReepers. Here is the enemy. Working in conjunction with A.N.S.W.E.R., they have given us their names.

How about this one --- Jameel Rashid, U.S. Coast Guard, Portsmouth, VA

Well, sailor. I guess it is time for me to call your commanding officer and see what he thinks about this.
====

MARCH 20, 2004


GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION
on the FIRST ANNIVERSARY of the U.S. BOMBING and INVASION of IRAQ


Bring the troops home now!


End colonial occupation from Iraq to Palestine and everywhere!


Money for jobs, education, healthcare and housing - Not war!
Stop the attacks on civil rights and civil liberties!
Madison Square Park (Madison Ave. & 23rd St.) in New York City, Dolores Park in San Francisco, Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles, Michigan & Pearson in Chicago, and in cities across the U.S.


<snip of all the names they posted>

Michael S. Berg, Teacher, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, Inc.,
West Chester, PA

<snip>

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1092851/posts



CONGRATULATIONS FREEPERS! YOU JUST GOT AN AMERICAN KILLED

[maddezmom]

24. AP confirms Berg was the man beheaded

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=716&e=1&u=/ap/20040511/ap_on_re_mi_ea/egypt_iraq_american_beheaded