# Why was Nick Berg in Iraq? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 28, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571 "2004-05-28T21:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/1 "2004-05-28T21:12:55Z")
What happened to him was terrible. What was he doing in Iraq? I can’t find any news on what he was doing there. Who employed or sponsored him? What’s the big secret? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/2 "2004-05-28T21:20:24Z")
I wasn’t aware there was a mystery. A few rabid conspiracy theories, sure, but show me a newsworthy event that doesn’t have _those_ attached to it. :rolleyes: He [owned his own telecommunications equipment company](http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4080179,00.html) and was in Iraq installing and repairing communications antennas. He had worked in the third world before doing humanitarian work. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/3 "2004-05-28T21:21:06Z")
I read he was doing something in telecommunications. I remembered that because I’m also looking for work and have telecom experience, and might have considered working in Iraq. Yeah, not any more. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/4 "2004-05-28T21:24:26Z")
Hmm. Looks like the conspiracy fans have picked up on the fact that he allegedly [worked at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison](http://journals.aol.com/bmiller224/OldHickorysWeblog/entries/1207). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/5 "2004-05-28T21:39:52Z")
He went to Iraq on his own, without a job, or even a job offer. He hoped to find work for his company and do humanitarian work. ---
**Author:** ![dethtoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@dethtoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dethtoll)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/6 "2004-05-28T21:57:44Z")
I have trouble believing Berg went to Iraq solely for humanitarian purposes. It seems pretty clear that he was heavily anti-American (and possibly borderline terrorist). According to [this](http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/20901.htm) article (and others), one of the 911 terrorists was using Berg’s e-mail account. When questioned, Berg stated that he happened to sit next to him on the bus, let him use his laptop, and **gave him his e-mail password**. Now, letting someone use your e-mail account would be weird enough as it is, but what buses even have internet access?! Did he lend a stranger his laptop and then provide his e-mail password just in case this random guy ever needed it in the future? Way too suspicious for me. Furthermore, [this](http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/8780854.htm?1c) shows that he had a 20-minute interview with Micheal Moore, who is well known for his less than positive sentiments for America. While I’m not suggesting that Berg was actively involved in any terrorist activities, there is more than many of the typical newspapers portray. Maybe he was as nieve as he sounds, and truly believed the Iraqis would show him no harm. ---
**Author:** ![dethtoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@dethtoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dethtoll)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/7 "2004-05-28T22:02:48Z")
There’s also this from the end of the second article: > [@](#): > > In Iraq, Berg partnered with an ex-Philadelphia Iraqi expatriate who’d been convicted in a Russian-exile crack-vial ring before becoming the highly visible leader of an anti-Saddam Hussein group backed by the Bush administration. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/8 "2004-05-28T22:11:09Z")
> [@dethtoll](#): > > It seems pretty clear that he was heavily anti-American (and possibly borderline terrorist). I didn’t realize that using the rights of free speech and expression enshrined by our founding fathers equates with being un-American. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/9 "2004-05-28T22:27:26Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Hmm. Looks like the conspiracy fans have picked up on the fact that he allegedly [worked at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison](http://journals.aol.com/bmiller224/OldHickorysWeblog/entries/1207). No. He worked in the town, not in the prison. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/10 "2004-05-28T22:28:31Z")
Actually, from what I’ve heard, Nick Berg’s _father_ was the one who was highly critical of the Bush Administration, while Nick himself was a big Bush supporter. Heck, if Nick Berg was such a big anti-American kinda guy, wouldn’t the terrorists have tried to recruit him instead? In a related vein, I’ve heard that there are plenty of Iraqis with the know-how and ability to install telecommunications equipment, yet for some reason those jobs ended up going to outside contractors instead of locals. Any truth to that? ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/11 "2004-05-28T22:43:20Z")
> [@dethtollAccording to \[this](#): > > ([http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/20901.htm](http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/20901.htm)) article (and others), one of the 911 terrorists was using Berg’s e-mail account. From the _same_ article: [quote] “Someone [on the bus] asked to use his computer. College kids do that all the time. It turned out that this guy was a terrorist and he used my son’s e-mail, amongst many other students he did that to,” said the senior Berg, who spoke yesterday with presidential candidate John Kerry. [quote] and > [@](#): > > The agency determined Berg had innocently given it to someone, who passed it along to Moussaoui, the official said. So, he didn’t necessarily provide it himself. > [@](#): > > Furthermore, [this](http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/8780854.htm?1c) shows that he had a 20-minute interview with Micheal Moore, who is well known for his less than positive sentiments for America. Right, because we all know only and anti-American would ever criticize the administration. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > While I’m not suggesting that Berg was actively involved in any terrorist activities, there is more than many of the typical newspapers portray. Maybe he was as nieve as he sounds, and truly believed the Iraqis would show him no harm. Well, thanks for that anyway. Even though you did say he was “possibly borderline terrorist” to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/12 "2004-05-28T22:52:22Z")
Is it true that there was an Israel travel stamp in his passport? If that is confirmed then any belief he wasn’t completely nieve is probably missfounded. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/13 "2004-05-28T23:12:49Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Is it true that there was an Israel travel stamp in his passport? > **[News](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/?xml=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F05%2F13%2Fwtort113.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2004%2F05%2F13%2Fixnewstop.html)** > > Latest breaking news, including politics, crime and celebrity. Find stories, updates and expert opinion. > [@](#): > > Beheaded American was arrested as a spy ‘because of his Jewish name’ > By Toby Harnden in Baghdad and Marcus Warren in West Chester > (Filed: 13/05/2004) > > Nicolas Berg, the American who was filmed being beheaded, had been previously arrested by Iraqi police and held on suspicion of being a spy because he had a Jewish name and an Israeli stamp in his passport, it emerged yesterday. > > \< snip \> > > Hugo Infante, 31, a Chilean photographer who stayed at the Al Fanar, said he had met Mr Berg around April 6 when the American returned to Baghdad two weeks after saying he was going to Mosul on business for two days. > > “He said, ‘They arrested me because I had a Jewish last name and an Israeli stamp in my passport.’ Then the Iraqi police put him with the US military because they thought he was a spy. Nick told me all this. He wasn’t mad. It was just an adventure for him. He said, ‘This shit happens. It was bad luck’.” > > In the Arab world, any indication that someone is a Jew or has links with Israel is potentially fatal, as Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was beheaded on video in Pakistan two years ago found out to his cost. > > Mr Infante said Mr Berg had told him he had visited Israel with his family several times. > > Mr Duke [_"…Andrew Duke, 49, a Colorado businessman who drank beer with Mr Berg, 26, at the hotel the night before he was abducted…"_] said Mr Berg had given him a similar account of what happened in Mosul. "His attitude was that it was all a bit of fun. Inconvenient, but in the bigger picture not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/14 "2004-05-28T23:17:02Z")
What I mean is, o.k. this guy doesn’t speak Arabic. He just up and decides to go to Iraq on his own and install equipment? How do you do that? Who are his clients? Why aren’t they being interviewed, you know: “yeah we knew Nick Berg, he was a nice guy, he did blah blah for us”. Another person mentioned he had a contact from Philadelphia, well why isn’t that guy talking? Isn’t there some kind of ban on travel to Iraq unless you have pre-arranged business there? Or can anyone just kind of wander on over there hoping to find a job in a hostile country where they mostly don’t speak English? Mind you, I’m not criticizing him, just wondering about the technicalities of this whole business of just going to Iraq and “helping out”. Why Iraq of all places? It sounds like he was just wandering the streets. Wouldn’t he stick out like a sore thumb being American? O.k. I admit I’m motivated by the horror at what happened to him, and trying to rationalize why he is different from the average person who wants to go to Iraq to help out. In other words, “why it wouldn’t happen to me.” ---
**Author:** ![Freejooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ba8739/32.png) [@Freejooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freejooky)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/15 "2004-05-28T23:23:09Z")
He was there to ca$h in on the rebuilding effort for his american telecom company, robber baron style. He was hoping to make a fortune. Instead, his check got cashed. :wally ---
**Author:** ![peculiar\_hailstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@peculiar\_hailstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peculiar_hailstone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/16 "2004-05-29T00:15:57Z")
I have an Israeli stamp in my passport and a Lebanese one as well. In fact, I have a french one too. Jeez, I must be reallly anti-american. Oh, wait, a German one, an Egyptian one, and Hey! Spain too. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/17 "2004-05-29T00:22:07Z")
**Peculiar** anyone who travels to an Islamic Middle Eastern country should know that they must not cary anything Identified with Israel with them. For this reason people who have travelled to Israel get a second passport for use in travelling to Islamic states, the UK provide such passports to its citizens, I strongly expect USA does so to. You don’t even pack Marks and Sparks underwear, because that is a Jewish owned company. It wood be incredably stupid for someone to not follow these rules in the years before Gulf war 1, now adays it is stupid almost beyond belief to do so. ---
**Author:** ![30000Michael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/2bfe46/32.png) [@30000Michael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/30000Michael)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/18 "2004-05-29T01:30:25Z")
Do you remember about ten years ago when four Brits and New Zealanders in Chechneya met grisly end similar to Nick Berg? They were telecom workers too, working for a small company that was trying to crack into the apparantly lucrative communications buisness of the war-torn republic. Now, I had always assumed that the unfourtunate four had been spies- after all telecom workers have a good excuse for possesing transmitters etc. Did Nick bring comms equipment with him to Iraq? If so, I can understand why he was treated with such suspicion. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-nick-berg-in-iraq/247571/19 "2004-05-29T02:52:56Z")
> [@China Guy](#): > > I didn’t realize that using the rights of free speech and expression enshrined by our founding fathers equates with being un-American. Of course no one made that claim. There is a difference between un-American and anti-American. By the way, when I went to Israel I asked them not to stamp my passport. They’ll stamp a little piece of paper which you keep in your passport and give back when you leave. Haj