UPDATE: Three of Five US Contractors Arrested in Iraq Are Ordered Freed

By Jeremy Scahill

According to Iraqi officials, three of the five US contractors arrested last weekend in connection with the stabbing death of another US contractor have been ordered released. A government spokesperson, Ali al-Dabbagh said, “They are five. Three have been released due to a lack of evidence, two are still being detained on drug issues.”

On May 22, US contractor James Owen Kitterman was found stabbed to death and wrapped in plastic in Baghdad’s Green Zone. He was president of Janus Construction, a company which Kitterman started last year, though he had worked in Iraq from the very beginning of the occupation. Five other contractors were arrested in a joint US-Iraqi raid on their compound.

This case has attracted significant attention because if the contractors are ultimately charged and prosecuted in Iraq, it would be the first time Baghdad would be permitted by Washington to try US personnel in Iraqi courts.

As we reported on RebelReports, there have been conflicting narratives coming from the Iraqi and US governments about this case. The Christian Science Monitor today has a very good summary of this case and the recent developments.