# A 'terror' attack on U.S. troops by Iraq?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 22, 2003, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449 "2003-03-22T23:52:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/21 "2003-03-23T02:09:49Z")
Uh, man under military command in a WARTIME situation? You could easily be looking at a treason charge. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/22 "2003-03-23T02:11:51Z")
CNN is now reporting that the U.S. Soldier **was** the responsible party. :eek: That means it was either insanity, or treason. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/23 "2003-03-23T02:15:09Z")
Attempted murder is attempted murder. Even in the UCMJ. > [@](#): > > (2) Assault with intent to murder. Assault with intent to commit murder is assault with specific in-tent to kill. Actual infliction of injury is not necessary. To constitute an assault with intent to murder with a firearm, it is not necessary that the weapon be discharged. When the intent to kill exists, the fact that for some unknown reason the actual consummation of the murder by the means employed is impossible is not a defense if the means are apparently adapted to the end in view. The intent to kill need not be directed against the person assaulted if the assault is committed with intent to kill some person. For example, if a person, intending to kill Jones, shoots Smith, mistaking Smith for Jones, that person is guilty of assaulting Smith with intent to murder. If a person fires into a group with intent to kill anyone in the group, that person is guilty of and assault with intent to murder each member of the group. > Maximum punishment. > > (1) Assault with intent to commit murder or rape. Dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for 20 years. [http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/mcm/bl134-4.htm](http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/mcm/bl134-4.htm) No death penalty…yet anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/24 "2003-03-23T02:15:36Z")
Actual treasonous behavior is, um, frowned upon by the military. Such action that atually causes deaths I would think could very well carry a death sentence. IIRC, in WWII a “deserter” was executed for just hooking up with a Canadian unit and not trying to reconnect with his own people. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/25 "2003-03-23T02:17:04Z")
Treason needs two witnesses or a confession. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/26 "2003-03-23T02:21:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Treason needs two witnesses or a confession. \*\* In the civilian courts, yes. But under the UCMJ? (Honestly, I don’t know. I’m gonna put this in GQ if someone hasn’t beat me to it.) ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/27 "2003-03-23T02:21:41Z")
Maybe the Iraqi’s are running their own psy-ops, causing our soldiers to turn against us? I know sounds absurd, but this is bizarre. Perhaps it was a personal issue. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/28 "2003-03-23T02:25:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\*In the civilian courts, yes. But under the UCMJ? (Honestly, I don’t know. I’m gonna put this in GQ if someone hasn’t beat me to it.) \*\* Uhhh…just read the US constitution. It’s the only crime specifically mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Convict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/29 "2003-03-23T02:29:30Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. ART. 90. ASSAULTING OR WILLFULLY DISOBEYING SUPERIOR COMMISSIONED OFFICER. > > Any person subject to this chapter who– > > (1) strikes his superior commissioned officer or **draws or lifts up any weapon or offers any violence against him while he is in the execution of his officer** ; or > > (2) willfully disobeys a lawful command of his superior commissioned officer; shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, and if the offense is committed at any other time, by such punishment, other than death, as a court-martial may direct. [http://www.military-network.com/main\_ucmj/SUBCHAPTERX.html#890.90](http://www.military-network.com/main_ucmj/SUBCHAPTERX.html#890.90) ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/30 "2003-03-23T02:33:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Uhhh…just read the US constitution. It’s the only crime specifically mentioned. \*\* I know that it is. My point was, military justice and civilian difference are often markedly different, especially during wartime. How about we both go see if there’s been a response in GQ and see what the lawyers say? ---
**Author:** ![Convict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/31 "2003-03-23T02:33:32Z")
Sorry, bolding was mine. Of course this brings up the debate of are we in a time of war? They may be able to avoid the death penalty by arguing that there has been no formal declaration of war. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/32 "2003-03-23T02:35:26Z")
Well, it still might be terrorism. Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist… and a US marine. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/33 "2003-03-23T02:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > Timothy McVeigh was a terrorist… and a US marine. McVeigh was Army. (One of his grudges was having flunked out of the Special Forces training, ostensibly because he was debilitated from having participated in Desert Storm.) (Of course, if he _had_ been a Marine, we could then point to him plus Ollie North plus Lee Oswald and go “Hmmmm?”. However, with the current facts that would not even support a wild-eyed conspiracy theory.) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/34 "2003-03-23T02:59:22Z")
A US soldier did this? Holy FUCK!!! :eek: WHY??? Any speculation? ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/35 "2003-03-23T03:09:29Z")
Actually, I’m surprised this sort of thing doesn’t happen more often. How many soldiers are over there, about 400,000? There’s bound to be a few people that are unbalanced out of a group that large. Toss in the stress of war and isolation in the desert and a few people are going to snap. Then when they do, they already are armed to the teeth. I realize the military weeds out people that can’t handle the mental stress, but you’ll never get them all. Hope this is the last incident like this. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/36 "2003-03-23T03:17:00Z")
Apparently, he was a Muslim. But you know how the news reports can be. If he did in fact do it, I don’t think a firing squad would be too harsh. ---
**Author:** ![moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f17d59/32.png) [@moc.liamtoh\_rorrim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moc.liamtoh_rorrim)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/37 "2003-03-23T03:25:03Z")
Fucking hell. God damned muslim fuck. You know people say that its only the radical muslims that are “like that” and that praise osama etc… But Osama is now the MOST POPULAR name for new born babies among muslims. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/38 "2003-03-23T03:27:52Z")
Frankly, I am happy to hear it was an American soldier. Only because I would hate to think of the incompetence to let a “commando raid” get to within grendate-tossing distance of the commanders tent in Camp Pennsylvania. As an inside job, I can accept how that happened. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/39 "2003-03-23T03:36:21Z")
> [@](#): > > God damned muslim fuck. > > You know people say that its only the radical muslims that are “like that” And you _know_ that (provided the early rumors are even true and provided that his religion is not just coincidental to him going nuts) that he is _not_ a radical muslim who just didn’t get weeded out at some point? There are over 15,000 muslims in the U.S. armed forces. So far, we have one event _rumored_ to be related to one of them and not yet even rumored to be _based_ on his religious beliefs. I think a you might dislocate your knee if it keeps jerking like that. ---
**Author:** ![Convict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449/40 "2003-03-23T03:41:47Z")
According to CNN, the soldier in question was recently reprimanded for insubordination and told that he would not be following his unit when it deployed to Iraq. [http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/22/sprj.irq.101.attack/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/22/sprj.irq.101.attack/index.html) A good military lawyer should be able to avoid the death penalty for this incident. At the very least this “soldier” will be turning big rocks into little rocks for a long time at Ft. Leavenworth. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-terror-attack-on-u-s-troops-by-iraq/163449.md?page=3)