Family seeking info on Fortuna man arrested in Afghanistan

[seemslikeadream]

Andrew Bird

The Times-Standard

FORTUNA -- The family of Brett Bennett is trying to get answers about his whereabouts, after the Fortuna High School graduate and former soldier was arrested in Kabul by Afghanistan authorities last month for allegedly helping run a vigilante prison.

Although the U.S. government asserted that Bennett and two other men were acting on their own when they converted a Kabul house into a makeshift jail, where they allegedly beat suspected terrorists, Bennett's family believes the men were working on behalf of the Pentagon in Afghanistan.

Bennett, a 1994 graduate of Fortuna High, was arrested with Jonathan Idema and Edward Caraballo on July 5 and were interrogated by Afghanistan's intelligence agency.

Ellen Judd, who lives near Bridgeville, is Bennett's grandmother.

After high school, Bennett joined the U.S. Army where he served in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.


Idema last month during his trial told the AP: "The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did, they absolutely supported what we did. We have extensive evidence of that."
Judd said Monday, "that's what we were told too" in e-mails Bennett sent to his family from Afghanistan.



more
http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127~2896~2311528,00.html


Rumsfeld knew all about me, says American 'jailer' held in Kabul
Duncan Campbell
Thursday July 22, 2004
The Guardian

The saga of "Jack" Idema, the American arrested for running a private interrogation centre in Afghanistan, took a new twist yesterday when he claimed that he was acting with the knowledge and agreement of Donald Rumsfeld's office.
Mr Idema, who has been accused of having a makeshift jail in which detainees were hung by their feet, claimed that US authorities "condoned and supported" his freelance activities.

"We were working for the US counter-terrorist group and working with the Pentagon and some other federal agencies," said Mr Idema, whose full name is Jonathon Keith Idema, before the opening of a court hearing in Kabul, according to Reuters.

He told reporters: "We were in contact directly by fax and email and phone with Donald Rumsfeld's office.

"The American authorities absolutely condoned what we did. We have extensive evidence to that ... We're prepared to show emails and correspondence and tape-recorded conversations."

more
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1266418,00.html

more
Rumsfeld knew all about me, says American 'jailer' held in Kabul
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=701568

U.S. Says It Got Afghan From Vigilantes
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=701944

Americans Accused of Running Private Jail Appear Before Afghan Judge, Say
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=693311

[mike_c]

1. damn, this guy is from just down the road from me....

Scary. Of course, one might argue that Bridgeville isn't exactly a hotbed of heterozygosity....

on edit: yes boys and girls, I can spell heterozygosity when I put my mind to it!

[bemildred]

2. Well, you gotta admit ...

When the Times-Sub-Standard reports that the Pentagon is
full of shit, it IS news.

[mike_c]

4. bemildred, are you a fellow Humboldt Nation-ite...?

Beer's on me....

[bemildred]

7. Not fellow, former (17 years).

I visit occasionally, my daughter lives there.
If the force is with us, I'll ping you next time that happens
and take you up on the beer at the Lost Coast Brew place there
on 4th street.

[FlaGranny]

3. This headline made me think

the FAMILY had been arrested for seeking information on the man. Where do they get these headline writers?

[happynewyear]

5. believe me, they hire only the dumbest of the dumb

old * fits right in with them. Too much of this in these parts of the woods IMO.

:dem: :kick:

[nosmokes]

6. i miss humboldt something fierce

but not the sub-standard even a little bit.

lived in 'willer crick' fer a spell, and even served on the county human rights commission. sure hated having to leave. hello to humboldt!