BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 8, 2005
U.S. Holds CBS Cameraman In Iraq
Cameraman With CBS Credentials Seen As Threat To Coalition Forces
-
Play CBS Video Video Iraqi Cameraman Investigated Bob Schieffer talks with Lee Cowan in Iraq and Jim Stewart in Washington about a CBS freelance cameraman who was wounded by U.S. fire, and is now under government detention.
-
Video Important Anniversary In Iraq Two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Lee Cowan takes a look at the state of Iraq. More than one-third of Iraqis are out of work, and travel is a maze of barricades and checkpoints.
-
(CBS/AP)
-
Interactive Two Years Later Major events, photos and more on the rebuilding of Iraq.
-
Interactive Attacks Map Details on the insurgency and terrorism that has continued to take lives since the fall of Saddam.
The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between U.S. soldiers and suspected insurgents, the military said. He was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the statement said.
The military issued a statement then saying the cameraman was shot because his equipment was mistaken for a weapon.
But on Friday, the military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces."
"He is currently detained and will be processed as any other security detainee," the statement said.
CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart reports the military became suspicious when they examined the contents of the camera and found pictures of what appears to be the aftermath of four separate attacks by insurgents using IEDs, improvised explosive devices. The footage, taken so soon after the attacks, suggest the cameraman had to have foreknowledge that the attacks would take place, officials told Stewart. The scenes and timing of the taping are very disturbing, said one official.
Reporting from Baghdad, CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan told Bob Schieffer that CBS News is cooperating with military investigators. The cameraman came with good recommendations, Cowan said.
"From every indication we had, the work he had done for us the past three months has been exceptional,'' Cowan said. He noted the all the networks employ locals in Iraq that help get footage that U.S. photographers couldn't get.
A spokesman for Task Force Freedom, Capt. Mark Walter, said the reporter suffered minor wounds and was with "a number of people" involved in the shootout.
Walter said the reporter was detained immediately after the incident, in part because of statements from witnesses to the battle.
Officials are investigating the man's previous activities as well as "his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities," the statement said.
On Friday, CBS News issued a statement saying the cameraman had been working with the network for about three months, and had been referred by a trusted source with whom CBS has had a two-year relationship.
"It is common practice in Iraq for Western news organizations to hire local cameramen in places considered too dangerous for Westerners to work effectively. The very nature of their work often puts them in the middle of very volatile situations,'' the statement said.
©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
