Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAGHDAD1766
2006-05-27 10:57:00
SECRET
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:
AUSTRALIAN CONCERNS ABOUT MNF-I DETENTION OF
how-toVZCZCXRO9987 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK RUEHMOS DE RUEHGB #1766 1471057 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 271057Z MAY 06 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4711 INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0036 RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY PRIORITY 0005 RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC PRIORITY RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY RUCNFB/FBI WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001766
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER PHUM KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN CONCERNS ABOUT MNF-I DETENTION OF
SUSPECTED WEAPONS DEALER
REF: PILZ-EPSTEIN E-MAIL MAY 25 2006
Classified By: Political-Military Counselor David C. Litt for
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001766
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER PHUM KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN CONCERNS ABOUT MNF-I DETENTION OF
SUSPECTED WEAPONS DEALER
REF: PILZ-EPSTEIN E-MAIL MAY 25 2006
Classified By: Political-Military Counselor David C. Litt for
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) On May 24, Australian Ambassador Howard
Brown and Australian Consul Alan Elliot met with Pol-
MilCouns and MNF-I Deputy Commanding General -
Detainee Operations (DCG-DO) to express Canberra's
concern about the detention of Australian national
Bradley John Thompson by US military forces as a
security internee. Ambassador Brown provided Post
with a paper copy of his aide memoire, which we
scanned and e-mailed to NEA/I/PM as per Ref A.
2. (S) Mr. Thompson was detained in Baghdad on May 16
following a joint Iraqi Police Service (IPS) and Air
Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)
investigation found evidence that Mr. Thompson had
been smuggling weapons into the International Zone in
hidden compartments of vehicles and selling those
weapons illegally to customers possibly including
Jaish al-Mahdi militia members and insurgents
operating in Fallujah.
3. (S) A search of Mr. Thompson's villa (located
inside the International Zone) at the time of his
detention found twenty AK-47 automatic rifles, three
Russian belt-fed tank-type heavy machine guns, a
sizeable quantity of ammunition, Iraqi, Australian,
and US military uniforms, computer software used to
create false military identification badges, and
$128,000 USD cash.
4. (S) Prior to our meeting with the Australian
Ambassador, Post and MNF-I had made arrangements on
May 21 for the Australian Consul to visit Mr. Thompson
at the Camp Cropper detention facility. According to
the Consul, Alan Elliott, Mr. Thompson claims that he
was "authorized by MNF-I" to sell weapons and
ammunition and buy military uniforms. (NOTE: MNF-I is
not aware of any such authorization.)
5. (C) As well as expressing general concern with
regard to Mr. Thompson's legal status, Ambassador
Brown requested that Mr. Thompson not be blindfolded
and shackled when being moved to and from visiting
rooms. (NOTE: this is standard procedure for new
inmates at Camp Cropper, which houses highly-violent
insurgent actors as well as other special populations
meriting private cells, like female and Coalition
nationals.) The DCG-DO agreed.
6. (SBU) According to Ambassador Brown, Mr. Thompson
has retained a US attorney, LtCol (Ret.) Neal A.
Puckett, USMC, to represent him. The DCG-DO confirmed
that LtCol Puckett would be allowed to meet with Mr.
Thompson either at Camp Cropper or (if preferred) at
an Iraqi courthouse inside the International Zone.
Requests for continued Consular telephone and in-
person access to Mr. Thompson were also granted.
7. (SBU) In response to follow-up e-mails from the
Australian Consul on May 26, Post arranged for Mr.
Thompson to telephone Mr. Elliot's cell phone and Mr.
Thompson's sister in Australia, assured Mr. Elliott
that he would be permitted to visit Mr. Thompson prior
to any future appearance in Iraqi court, and provided
contact information for Mr. Thompson's American legal
counsel to make visiting arrangements.
8. (C) COMMENT: The one previous instance of US
military detention of an Australian national in Iraq,
Ahmed Aziz Rafiq (Iraqi-born),attracted significant
attention from the Australian press corps. The
Australian Ambassador noted that he expected a similar
reaction in this case; Post notes that this will be
magnified should Mr. Thompson, as seems not unlikely,
be criminally charged in an Iraqi court. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PINS PTER PHUM KJUS IZ
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN CONCERNS ABOUT MNF-I DETENTION OF
SUSPECTED WEAPONS DEALER
REF: PILZ-EPSTEIN E-MAIL MAY 25 2006
Classified By: Political-Military Counselor David C. Litt for
Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) On May 24, Australian Ambassador Howard
Brown and Australian Consul Alan Elliot met with Pol-
MilCouns and MNF-I Deputy Commanding General -
Detainee Operations (DCG-DO) to express Canberra's
concern about the detention of Australian national
Bradley John Thompson by US military forces as a
security internee. Ambassador Brown provided Post
with a paper copy of his aide memoire, which we
scanned and e-mailed to NEA/I/PM as per Ref A.
2. (S) Mr. Thompson was detained in Baghdad on May 16
following a joint Iraqi Police Service (IPS) and Air
Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)
investigation found evidence that Mr. Thompson had
been smuggling weapons into the International Zone in
hidden compartments of vehicles and selling those
weapons illegally to customers possibly including
Jaish al-Mahdi militia members and insurgents
operating in Fallujah.
3. (S) A search of Mr. Thompson's villa (located
inside the International Zone) at the time of his
detention found twenty AK-47 automatic rifles, three
Russian belt-fed tank-type heavy machine guns, a
sizeable quantity of ammunition, Iraqi, Australian,
and US military uniforms, computer software used to
create false military identification badges, and
$128,000 USD cash.
4. (S) Prior to our meeting with the Australian
Ambassador, Post and MNF-I had made arrangements on
May 21 for the Australian Consul to visit Mr. Thompson
at the Camp Cropper detention facility. According to
the Consul, Alan Elliott, Mr. Thompson claims that he
was "authorized by MNF-I" to sell weapons and
ammunition and buy military uniforms. (NOTE: MNF-I is
not aware of any such authorization.)
5. (C) As well as expressing general concern with
regard to Mr. Thompson's legal status, Ambassador
Brown requested that Mr. Thompson not be blindfolded
and shackled when being moved to and from visiting
rooms. (NOTE: this is standard procedure for new
inmates at Camp Cropper, which houses highly-violent
insurgent actors as well as other special populations
meriting private cells, like female and Coalition
nationals.) The DCG-DO agreed.
6. (SBU) According to Ambassador Brown, Mr. Thompson
has retained a US attorney, LtCol (Ret.) Neal A.
Puckett, USMC, to represent him. The DCG-DO confirmed
that LtCol Puckett would be allowed to meet with Mr.
Thompson either at Camp Cropper or (if preferred) at
an Iraqi courthouse inside the International Zone.
Requests for continued Consular telephone and in-
person access to Mr. Thompson were also granted.
7. (SBU) In response to follow-up e-mails from the
Australian Consul on May 26, Post arranged for Mr.
Thompson to telephone Mr. Elliot's cell phone and Mr.
Thompson's sister in Australia, assured Mr. Elliott
that he would be permitted to visit Mr. Thompson prior
to any future appearance in Iraqi court, and provided
contact information for Mr. Thompson's American legal
counsel to make visiting arrangements.
8. (C) COMMENT: The one previous instance of US
military detention of an Australian national in Iraq,
Ahmed Aziz Rafiq (Iraqi-born),attracted significant
attention from the Australian press corps. The
Australian Ambassador noted that he expected a similar
reaction in this case; Post notes that this will be
magnified should Mr. Thompson, as seems not unlikely,
be criminally charged in an Iraqi court. END COMMENT.
KHALILZAD