Jordanian Sentenced to Life in Prison for Killing 3 U.S. Soldiers
By RANA F. SWEISJULY 17, 2017
A Jordanian soldier was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison on Monday for
the deaths of three United States soldiers whom he shot at an air base in November.
The relatives said the video showed that the gunfight lasted about six minutes and
that Sergeant Tawayha reloaded and opened fire, even though the Americans waved and yelled: "We’re Americans!
The investigation concluded that the three soldiers "were properly trained, equipped and armed" and had been following "established procedures for entering the gate." It found "no evidence
that substantiates post-incident allegations and speculation that alcohol was involved," and no evidence that "the Americans were the first ones to fire their weapons." Video footage of the firefight has been shown to the bereaved relatives, but not released to the public.
be given a fresh chance to interview Sergeant Tawayha about his motives;
that other guards who were at the gate that day be held responsible; and that Jordan extradite Ahlam Aref Ahmad Al-Tamimi, who has been charged in the United States with involvement in a 2001 attack on a pizza restaurant in Jerusalem that killed 15 people, including two Americans.
Ma’arik al-Tawayha, 39, had pleaded not guilty, saying
that he opened fire because the Americans had failed to stop their car as they approached the gate of the air base, and that he thought the base was under attack.
As the soldiers waited outside a gate to the base, Sergeant Tawayha opened fire with his M-16 rifle, killing Sergeant McEnroe
and mortally wounding Sergeant Lewellen, who were both in the second vehicle of the convoy.