Trump Pardons Michael Behenna, Former Soldier Convicted Of Killing Iraqi Prisoner

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President Trump has granted a full pardon to former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, who was convicted by a military court in 2009 for killing an Iraqi prisoner suspected of being part of al-Qaida. Behenna was initially sentenced to 25 years; he was released on parole in 2014.

Behenna, 35, was found guilty of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone for shooting Ali Mansur Mohamed in 2008. He said he acted in self-defense, and as the White House announced his pardon, it also said a U.S. Army appellate court had "noted concern about how the trial court had handled Mr. Behenna's claim of self-defense."

Mansur was killed during questioning about a roadside explosion that had killed members of a platoon under Behenna's command. In military court and in an interview last year, Behenna acknowledged that he had decided to question Mansur on his own, weeks after the Iraqi was initially released because of a lack of direct evidence that could tie him to the explosion.

Mansur was naked when he was shot; Behenna said the prisoner had tried to take his weapon. In his legal appeal, he also said that during the trial, prosecutors had withheld evidence from his defense attorneys.

The push to pardon Behenna, an Oklahoma native, was taken up by the most powerful politicians in his home state. Members of Congress offered their support, as did former Gov. Mary Fallin and state Attorney General Mike Hunter — who repeatedly asked Trump to pardon Behenna.

Hunter welcomed news of the pardon, issuing a statement that read, "Behenna served his country with distinction, honor and sacrifice. He has admitted to his mistakes, has learned from them and deserves to move on from this incident without living under its cloud for the rest of his life."

Behenna's family has worked vigorously on his behalf — and they are well-positioned to do so, with deep ties to law enforcement and the legal system. His father, Scott Behenna, has worked for both the FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. His mother, Vicki Behenna, is an attorney and former longtime federal prosecutor in Oklahoma City who has led the charge to help her son — first to win parole and then to gain a presidential pardon.

When that pardon finally came, Michael Behenna missed the White House's initial call to him because he was speaking to his father on the phone, according to The Oklahoman. Then he called the White House to speak to the president.

"My heart was beating fast," he told the newspaper. "I had big ol' tears in my eyes. He said he'd heard about my case, and 'you have a lot of support behind you. Your case came highly recommended.' I'm choked up and I'm trying to say, 'Thank you very much.' "

With his record cleared, Behenna no longer faces the restrictions that would have come with being on parole through 2024.

In addition to support within Oklahoma, the White House statement about Behenna's pardon mentioned other factors, from the Army Clemency and Parole Board reducing his sentence and granting him parole to some 37 military officers and others signing a brief supporting his claims.

The White House statement about his pardon added, "Further, while serving his sentence, Mr. Behenna was a model prisoner. In light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving of this Grant of Executive Clemency."</s>US president Donald Trump on Monday pardoned former US army Lt Michael Behenna, who was imprisoned for five years for killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008.

Behenna, a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division, was convicted of unpremeditated murder and sentenced to 25 years after killing Ali Mansur Mohamed, a suspected al-Qaeda member.

Behenna, who stripped Mansur naked for questioning and then shot him twice, claimed he was acting in self-defence.

His sentence was subsequently reduced to 15 years and he was paroled in 2014, five years into his term.

"Behenna’s case has attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials, and the public," the White House said in a statement. Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter petitioned the White House for the pardon.

Mansur was captured by Behenna's soldiers and questioned by military intelligence in connection with a roadside bomb that killed two members of the platoon on April 21 2008.

Mansur was ordered released due to insufficient evidence to hold him and Behenna was tasked with returning him to his village. During the operation, Behenna stopped the convoy and questioned Mansur on the attack.

Behenna claimed the naked Mansur lunged for his weapon and he shot him in self-defence, according to testimony from his 2009 trial.

The White House said Behenna was a "model prisoner" and "entirely deserving" of the Grant of Executive Clemency.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday. Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon,…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday.

Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al-Qaida terrorist in Iraq. He was paroled in 2014 and had been scheduled to remain on parole until 2024.

A military court had sentenced Behenna to 25 years in prison. However, the Army’s highest appellate court noted concern about how the trial court had handled Behenna’s claim of self-defense, Sanders said. The Army Clemency and Parole Board also reduced his sentence to 15 years and paroled him as soon as he was eligible.

Behenna’s case attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials and the public, Sanders said. She added that Behenna was a model prisoner while serving his sentence, and “in light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving” of the pardon.

Oklahoma’s two Republican senators, James Lankford and Jim Inhofe, hailed the pardon, thanking Trump for giving Behenna “a clean slate.”

Behenna acknowledged during his trial that instead of taking the prisoner home as he was ordered, he took the man to a railroad culvert, stripped him, and then questioned him at gunpoint about a roadside bombing that had killed two members of Behenna’s platoon.

Behenna, a native of the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, said the man moved toward him and he shot him because Behenna thought he would try to take his gun.

Oklahoma’s attorney general first requested a pardon for Behenna in February 2018 and renewed his request last month. Attorney General Mike Hunter said he believed Behenna’s conviction was unjustified because of erroneous jury instructions and the failure of prosecutors to turn over evidence supporting a self-defense claim.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.</s>President Donald Trump has pardoned Michael Behenna, a former Army officer who was convicted of murder for the killing of an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, the White House announced Monday night.

Behenna was sentenced to 25 years in prison and was released on parole in 2014 after serving five years. His case has been championed by a number of influential people, including former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and more than 30 retired generals and admirals.

In 2008, U.S. forces captured Ali Mansur, a suspected al-Qaida member, after a roadside bomb killed two American soldiers in a convoy traveling north of Baghdad, according to the Washington Post. An intelligence report linked Mansur to the attack, but the military couldn’t conclusively prove his involvement and was forced to free him.

Behenna, an Army Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division and a friend of the two soldiers who had been killed, was tasked with taking Mansur back to his village. But instead, Behenna and his platoon took Mansur to a remote area, cut off his clothes with a knife, bound and blindfolded him, and interrogated him about the attack. A military court filing reports Behenna threatened Mansur: “This is your last chance to tell the information or you will die,” Behenna said, according to the New York Times.

Mansur reportedly agreed to talk, but Behenna shot Mansur in his head and chest. Behenna told the other soldiers that “he would do it again, and he did not feel bad about it because he just lost two guys,” according to the court filing.

Behenna has claimed he was acting in self-defense and that Mansur had thrown a piece of concrete and reached for Behenna’s weapon during the interrogation. Behenna tried to overturn his conviction based on the assertion that the prosecution hid evidence that would have helped his case. A judge denied those efforts, but his sentence was reduced to 15 years.

Last year, Mike Hunter, the attorney general of Oklahoma—Behenna’s home state—asked Trump to pardon Behenna, admitting that some of the former soldier’s actions were objectionable but that “that does not mean he deserves the label ‘murderer.’ ”

The White House agreed in a short statement, also noting concerns about Behenna’s trial and his behavior as a “model prisoner.”</s>President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to a former U.S. soldier convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2009, the White House announced Monday.

Army First Lieutenant Michael Behenna of Oklahoma was convicted to 25 years in prison in 2009 for unpremeditated murder in a combat zone, where he claimed self-defense in the killing of a man he believed to be an al-Qaeda terrorist in Iraq. His sentence was reduced to 15 years and he was released on parole as soon as he was eligible in 2014.

The New York reports that in 2008, Behenna and his platoon took prisoner Ali Mansur to a remote part of the Iraqi desert for interrogation, when Behenna fatally shot Mansur in the head and chest. According to a military court filing, Behenna told Mansur that the interrogation was his “last chance to tell the information or you will die,” during which Mansur was bound and blindfolded, and his clothes were cut off with a knife.

The filing also noted that after killing Mansur, Behenna told other soldiers that “he would do it again, and he did not feel bad about it because he just lost two guys.”

A statement released by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, refers to Behenna to as “a model prisoner” and “entirely deserving” of the presidential pardon. Citing support for Behenna’s claim of self-defense, the statement notes that his case “has attracted broad support form the military, Oklahoma elected officials, and the public.”

“This pardon is a presidential endorsement of a murder that violated the military’s own code of justice,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said in a statement to TIME.

“The military appeals court found Behenna disobeyed orders, became the aggressor against his prisoner, and had no justification for killing a naked, unarmed Iraqi man in the desert, away from an actual battlefield. Trump, as Commander-in-Chief, and top military leaders should prevent war crimes, not endorse or excuse them,” Shamsi added.</s>WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday.

Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al Qaeda terrorist in Iraq. He was paroled in 2014 and had been scheduled to remain on parole until 2024.

A military court had sentenced Behenna to 25 years in prison. However, the Army's highest appellate court noted concern about how the trial court had handled Behenna's claim of self-defense, Sanders said. The Army Clemency and Parole Board also reduced his sentence to 15 years and paroled him as soon as he was eligible.

Behenna's case attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials and the public, Sanders said. She added that Behenna was a model prisoner while serving his sentence, and "in light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving" of the pardon.</s>President Donald Trump has pardoned a former U.S. soldier convicted in 2009 of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House announced Monday.

Trump signed an executive grant of clemency, a full pardon, for former Army 1st Lt. Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, press secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al-Qaida terrorist in Iraq. He was paroled in 2014 and had been scheduled to remain on parole until 2024.

A military court had sentenced Behenna to 25 years in prison. However, the Army's highest appellate court noted concern about how the trial court had handled Behenna's claim of self-defense, Sanders said. The Army Clemency and Parole Board also reduced his sentence to 15 years and paroled him as soon as he was eligible.

Behenna's case attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials and the public, Sanders said. She added that Behenna was a model prisoner while serving his sentence, and "in light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving'' of the pardon.

Behenna acknowledged during his trial that instead of taking the prisoner home as he was ordered, he took the man to a railroad culvert, stripped him, and then questioned him at gunpoint about a roadside bombing that had killed two members of Behenna's platoon.

Behenna, a native of the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond, said the man moved toward him and he shot him because Behenna thought he would try to take his gun.

Oklahoma's attorney general first requested a pardon for Behenna in February 2018 and renewed his request last month. Attorney General Mike Hunter said he believed Behenna's conviction was unjustified because of erroneous jury instructions and the failure of prosecutors to turn over evidence supporting a self-defense claim.</s>President Donald Trump has pardoned Michael Behenna, a former Army lieutenant who served five years in prison for the murder of an Iraqi prisoner in 2008.

Behenna, who was an Army Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division, was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone and sentenced to 25 years after killing Ali Mansur, a detainee and suspected al-Qaida member. Behenna, who stripped Mansur naked, interrogated him without authorization and then shot him twice, has claimed repeatedly that he was acting in self-defense.

In a Monday evening statement, the White House announced Trump's decision to sign an executive grant of clemency, which amounts to a full pardon, citing support from the military community and Oklahoma elected officials, some of whom had recently renewed a public campaign for the president's order. Behenna, the statement said, was "entirely deserving."

The former soldier, now 35, fought to overturn his conviction on the grounds that the prosecution had hid evidence that would have benefited his case. The judge denied the effort, but Behenna's sentence was ultimately reduced to 15 years, and he was released on parole in 2014. Before Trump's pardon, Behenna faced another five years of parole.

U.S. forces took Mansur into custody shortly after a roadside bomb struck a convoy traveling north of Baghdad, killing two of Behenna's friends and platoon members. An intelligence report linked Mansur to the attack, but he was later freed when the military couldn't find conclusive evidence of his involvement, according to Behenna's pardon application.

Behenna was then ordered to transport Mansur back to his village. Instead, Behenna took him to a secluded railroad culvert and demanded more information from him.

At his 2009 court-martial, Behenna said Mansur had lunged for his weapon during the interrogation.

"I was scared Ali Mansur was going to take my weapon and use it against me," he said then. "This happened very fast."

Since his conviction, Behenna, an Oklahoma native, has won the support of former Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican; state Attorney General Mike Hunter, a republican;, and more than 30 retired generals and admirals - among them Trump's former special envoy for the Persian Gulf, retired Gen. Anthony Zinni.

"I'm grateful that the long road for Michael Behenna and his family has finally come to a joyous end," Lankford said in the joint statement. "Michael now gets a clean slate and a second chance at life."

In a 2018 letter to Trump, when Hunter first asked the president to pardon Behenna, Hunter conceded that some of Behenna's actions were "undoubtedly wrong and condemnable."

"But that does not mean he deserves the label 'murderer,' " Hunter wrote, "or the lifelong punishment and stigma that come with being a federal criminal."

On Monday, Hunter applauded Trump and said Behenna has "admitted to his mistakes, has learned from them and deserves to move on."

Behenna recently told The Washington Post that he was hopeful but cautious about his chances of being pardoned.

"We know we have a president who is very sympathetic to the very difficult situation that soldiers, sailors and Marines were put in during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars," said John Richter, who represented Behenna.

The pardon is the eighth Trump has issued and the first since July, when he granted clemency to the father-and-son cattle ranchers whose case helped spark the 2016 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

The Washington Post's Ian Shapira contributed to this report.</s>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A former U.S. soldier from Oklahoma who was pardoned this week for his 2009 conviction for killing an Iraqi prisoner says he initially didn't answer the White House's phone call to tell him of the pardon.

Michael Behenna said Wednesday that he was on the phone with his father when the call came and he didn't recognize the number and thought it might be a telemarketer. He says he then checked his messages and returned the call when it said President Donald Trump was granting him a pardon and wanted to speak to him.

Behenna says the president's office soon called back and Trump told him of the pardon, leaving Behenna in tears.

Behenna was convicted of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone in the 2008 killing of Ali Mansur Mohamed. He was paroled in 2014 after serving about 5 years of his 15-year sentence.

Michael Behenna, second from right, smiles as he stands with his family, from left, dad Scott Behenna, mom Vicki Behenna, Michael Behenna and brother Brett Behenna, during a news conference Wednesday, May 8, 2019, in Oklahoma City. Behenna has been pardoned from his 2009 conviction for killing an Iraqi prisoner. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)</s>President Trump on Monday pardoned a former US Army first lieutenant convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner, the White House said.

Michael Behenna, of Oklahoma, was sentenced in 2009 to 25 years in prison for unpremeditated murder in a combat zone after killing a suspected al-Qaida terrorist in Iraq. He was paroled in 2014 and had been expected to stay on parole until 2024.

Behenna, now 35, stripped detainee Ali Mansur naked, interrogated him without authorization and then shot him twice, according to The Washington Post. He claimed he acted in self defense.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Behenna was a “model prisoner” while serving his sentence and “entirely deserving” of clemency.

Behenna’s case attracted support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials and the public, Sanders said.
Michael Behenna, an American soldier convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, is pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump and invited to dinner.