MURDER INVESTIGATION OF REO BASRAH LOCAL EMPLOYEE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 04 BASRAH 000145

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/NEA, DS/IP/ITA, DS/ICI/PII

E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/10/2016
TAGS: ASEC PGOV IZ
SUBJECT: MURDER INVESTIGATION OF REO BASRAH LOCAL EMPLOYEE

REF: U.S. EMBASSY BAGHDAD SPOT REPORT: 08/26/06

BASRAH 00000145 001.2 OF 004


CLASSIFIED BY: Bryan T.Bachmann, RSO Basrah, REO Basrah,
Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (d)

1. (C) Summary: On August 26, 2006, a local Triple Canopy
contract
employee who worked as a translator at Basrah's Regional Embassy
Office
(REO) was murdered and her sister seriously injured as they
returned home
from work. RSO and ARSO interviewed the employee's two
brothers, one of
whom works as a police officer with the Iraqi Police Service
(IPS) and the
other is a KBR contractor. On September 9, 2006, RSO and ARSO
met with Raof
Habib Hussyn and Nassr Habib Hussyn, the brothers of Wassan and
Intisar
Hussyn. They provided an account of the crime, the subsequent
investigation, and the corruption within the Basrah Criminal
Intelligence
Unit (CIU). Interview results indicate the possibility of police
involvement in the deadly attack and reinforce the dangerous work
environment for the REO's local employees. End Summary.

-------------- --------------
--------------
ATTACK LEFT ONE DEAD, ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED
-------------- --------------
--------------


2. (SBU) On September 9, Raof Hussyn, a KBR contractor and
brother of the
victims, recounted to the RSO his surviving sister's story of
the attack.
According to his sister Intisar, she and her sister Wassan
departed the
Basrah Palace Compound from the American gate at approximately
1230 local
time. As was their custom, Wassan and Intisar avoided hiring
the first taxi
that approached and continued to walk along the street until
another taxi
offered a fare. The taxi was described as an old, yellow Mazda
4-door
sedan. The taxi driver (described as having a long face with
pitted scar
markings, green eyes, long thick curly hair combed to the side,
and a clean
shaven face) offered a lower than normal fare which was agreed
upon by both
sisters. Upon entering the taxi, the driver rolled down all
four windows of
the sedan. Wassan and Intisar complained about the windows being
rolled down
because of the wind, but were compelled by the driver to leave
them down.


3. (SBU) While driving through the Al Ashar area, the sisters
both noticed
the taxi driver constantly looking at his rearview mirror.
Wassan and
Intisar looked behind them and saw a motorcycle following them.
Upon
informing the taxi driver of their suspicions, Wassan noticed an
Iraqi
Police Checkpoint nearby and instructed the taxi driver to pull
over at the
checkpoint to drop them off. However, the taxi driver deviated
from his
original route and went on to another side road before arriving
at the Iraqi
Police Checkpoint.


4. (SBU) As the taxi neared the Al Qanina intersection in the
Al Jubila
area, the taxi driver stated he was having motor vehicle
problems and began
to pull over to the right shoulder of the road. The taxi driver
exited the
vehicle and lifted up the hood to fix the problem. At this
point, an olive
color, newer model, Chinese production motorcycle with two
occupants pulled
along side the taxi's left rear passenger door. The motorcycle
driver was
unidentifiable, but the passenger was described as having a bald
spot on top
of his head, with a grey and black semi-circle of hair on the
sides, and
wearing a full beard.
Intisar saw the motorcycle passenger pull a pistol from his hip

BASRAH 00000145 002.2 OF 004


and point it
directly at Wassan who was sitting in the left rear seat.
Intisar threw her
arms around Wassan to shield her sister. The motorcycle
passenger fired
multiple shots, wounding Intisar in the upper left arm while
mortally
striking Wassan in the upper left chest, lower left hand, and
lower right
abdomen. The motorcycle passenger then got off the motorcycle
to see if the
passengers were dead. No further shots were fired and both
motorcycle
occupants fled the crime scene.


5. (SBU) Wassan and Intisar both survived the initial attack
and screamed
for the taxi driver to take them to a hospital. The taxi driver
refused,
stating that his vehicle was inoperable. At this point, day
laborers and
other pedestrians began to surround the crime scene. A passing
car pulled
over and offered assistance and took both sisters to the Al
Rahma Hospital.
Upon arriving at the Al Rahma Hospital the physician refused to
provide
medical attention, stating he was "not on duty" and not
available to provide
treatment. Wassan and Intisar were then immediately transported
to the
"Training Hospital" but Wassan died en route. Intisar was shot
once in left
upper arm and the bullet was removed. She is currently at home
resting, but
has developed an infection around the wound.

--------------
A BROTHER'S INVESTIGATION
--------------


6. (C) Nassr Habib Hussyn Al Musawi is the brother of Wassan
and Intisar
and an Iraqi police officer in the Car Hijacking Unit. He began
conducting
a personal investigation into his sister's death soon after the
attack.
Nassr provided a sketch artist for Intisar to describe the taxi
driver and
motorcycle attackers. The sketches were then distributed to
Nassr's
personal friends to assist with finding those responsible.
Nassr visited
the Al Qanina crime scene and talked with day laborers who
witnessed the
attack. The day laborers claimed that after the attack, and
after the
sisters were transported to the hospital, the taxi cab driver
lowered his
car hood and drove away from the crime scene.

7. (C) During Nassr's investigation, information was provided
that a
passerby witnessed the attack and followed the motorcycle as it
fled away.
According to the witness, the motorcycle was followed to Makateb
Street in
Al Jumhuriyah. On Makateb Street the motorcycle darted into a
small ally
too narrow for a car to follow. Nassr and personal friends
continue to
search for the motorcycle.

--------------
THE POLICE INVESTIGATION
--------------


8. (C) Nassr said that on September 6, 2006, Abu Abdullah, a
municipal
civil employee, was murdered in the Ar Rabbat neighborhood by two
individuals on a motorcycle. The Ar Rabbat police arrested two
suspects.
The suspects were in possession of a Glock pistol and AK-47
rifle. Nassr
learned from other officers present at the questioning that the
two suspects
were believed have been the same individuals who perpetrated the
attack on
his sisters.


BASRAH 00000145 003.2 OF 004



9. (C) Nassr said that Lt. Col Radhi and Lt. Col Hassen Khanjer
brought the
criminals before Brigadier General Kadhim, the police chief of
Al-Ashar
police center. He added that one of the suspects was identified
as Abu
Muhamad AKA Muhssen Al-Shiei. Nassr said that Al-Shiei is the
brother of a
police major named Ali Muhssen Al-Shiei. According to Nassr,
the police
major reportedly works in the logistics division of the police.


10. (C) Nassr stated that after having been brought in to see
BG Khadim,
the two suspects were released from police custody into the
custody of Major
Al-Shiei at 0100 on the morning of September 7, from BG Kadhim's
office.
The two suspects were not charged, the crime scene was not
processed, and
the weapons were not checked.


11. (C) Nassr Hussyn's investigation yielded the following
results: He has
acquired a photograph of the motorcycle driver in the murder of
the
municipal employee, identified as Kalef, who lives behind Sayed
Ali Al-Ablah
Mosque as an illegal squatter. Kalef is also reportedly an
ex-convict of
Abu Ghraib prison. Nassr is actively looking for the taxi
driver and car
and believes he can find them within a week. (Note. Nassr
expressed
disappointment when he found out that the REO does not have
camera coverage
or recording at the REO Front Gate. End note.)

-------------- --------------
--------------
POLICE INVOLVEMENT - POLICE CORRUPTION
-------------- --------------
--------------


12. (C) Nassr Hussyn described that the Criminal Intelligence
Unit, the
unit he feels directly responsible for the attack, as a platoon
that was
officially disbanded but, unofficially, still drives police
cars, has
credentials, weapons, radios, and even police resources. Nassr
stated that
this platoon was responsible for the majority of killings,
attacks, and
crime attributed to the Iraqi police in Basrah. (Note. This
has been
echoed by other contacts. End note.) He added that every
police officer
had to pay 10,000 Iraqi Dinar per month to support this unit
since its
members are no longer on an official payroll. Nassr cited the
CIU's
involvement in a mortar attacks, saying that he once heard a
transmission on
the police radio telling police officers to leave the area
around the Shatt
al Arab hotel directly before an attack took place. Nassr
emphasized that
this unit was for hire by one of three political groups,
Fadillah, Sadr, and
Shabban 15, whenever a murder or attack needed to be completed.
(Note:
Nassr Hussyn, as a police officer, expressed grave concern that
British
funds for police training were getting into the hands of this
rogue unit.
He also shared his frustration that the police units were
uncooperative and
self serving. He asserted that his own unit, the car hijacking
unit, had
recovered so many stolen autos that the unit was ordered
disbanded by the
Ministry of Interior. End note.)


13. (C) COMMENT. Wissam and Intisar's brothers expressed their
hope that
the United States could help find justice for their sister's
killer. The
continued threat and intimidation of locally employed staff has

BASRAH 00000145 004.2 OF 004


made the
work environment increasingly difficult. The British military
has also lost
staff to murder and assassination and is trying to find ways to
redress the
issue. Currently, the REO has only one local employed staff and
she is
under threat for working with the REO. The fear of being
associated with
the REO and put at risk for assassination is high. The REO's
RSO office
will follow up on the status of the murder investigation with
the Basrah
Chief of Police. REO Basrah will stress our grave concerns
regarding this
particular police investigation and the security and safety of
all Basrah
Palace compound employees.
GROSS