US troops to be charged in death of Iraqi civilian

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) The US Marine Corps will announce criminal charges today against troops in the April 26 killing of an Iraqi civilian in a case in which seven Marines and a Navy corpsman are being held in pretrial confinement, a US defense official said.

The Marines plan to hold a news conference at Camp Pendleton, California, at 4 pm (local time) to announce the charges, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official did not give the names of the troops to be charged or the actual charges.

Defense lawyers representing some of the men in custody have said they expect murder and kidnapping charges.

Military criminal investigators have been examining whether the servicemen fatally shot a 52-year-old disabled Iraqi man in the face, then planted a rifle and a shovel next to his body to make it appear he was an insurgent placing a roadside bomb.

REUTERS KD PM2155