Cpl. Wassef Hassoun has been found guilty for desertion for his disappearance in 2004 in Iraq, and reprised his actions in 2005 while fleeing from Lebanon; he has also been found guilty for losing his service pistol.
While Hassoun’s attorneys are claiming that he was kidnapped, but the judge in the case, Marine Maj. Nicholas Martz found the defendant guilty, and whose sentencing will be issued later in the week.
Hassoun was thought to be kidnapped, after a photo was taken of the former Marine when he was blindfolded with a sword placed above his head. It was shortly after the photo was taken that Hassoun would return to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut unharmed; many were skeptical whether or not he was really kidnapped to begin with.
While most desertion charges are overseen by military administrates, Haytham Faraj, a lawyer for Hassoun is wondering why Hassoun’s case is being treated differently stating, “To me it doesn’t seem very fair.”
Faraj is also claiming that key evidence is being withheld from the case, evidence which includes the fact that the family genuinely seem distraught after finding out about Hassoun’s kidnapping. The family also claims that they were contacted by Sunni Muslims to negotiate the release of Hassoun.
Hassoun was being treated as a deserter when he did return to his base, but he was also allowed to visit family members in Utah, and that is when he went missing for a second time, demonstrating that maybe he was responsible for his desertion.
He was found in Lebanon, where authorities at Interpol took him into custody, and took his passport because they did not want the former Marine traveling again.
Photo By: AP Photo/The Daily News, John Althouse
