The US military has charged seven marines and a navy medic with premeditated murder and other crimes in the April 26th killing of an Iraqi civilian in a village west of Baghdad.
All were charged with premeditated murder, larceny, conspiracy, housebreaking, assault, kidnapping and obstruction of justice, while five also were charged with making false official statements.
All eight men face the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.
The incident took place in the town of Hamdania in central Iraq and is a separate case from the November 19th killing of 24 civilians in Haditha in which other marines are suspected.
Military investigators examined whether the servicemen took a 52-year-old disabled Iraqi man, identified as Hashim Ibrahim Awad, from his home, shot him in the face, then planted an AK-47 assault rifle and a shovel next to his body to make it appear he was an insurgent placing a roadside bomb.
The eight men have been held in pretrial confinement at the Camp Pendleton brig in San Diego since May 24th. Their next step is a hearing to determine whether their cases go to court-martial, which would be held at Camp Pendleton.
Four US marines were killed on Tuesday in Iraq's western Anbar province, the US military said today.
Three marines were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Another died after coming under fire during security operations, said a military statement.