Pentagon Statement: US Soldier in Custody Following Slaying of 5 Americans in Iraq

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2009 -- An American soldier suspected in involvement in the shooting deaths of five U.S. servicemembers today in Baghdad is in U.S. custody, defense officials said.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time at the U.S. military base Camp Liberty in the Iraqi capital. Defense officials characterized the killings as an unexpected tragedy.

“Any time we lose one of our own, it affects us all,” said Army Col. John Robinson, Multinational Corps Iraq spokesman. “Our hearts go out to the families and friends of all the servicemembers involved in this terrible tragedy.”

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called the shooting an “unexpected and tragic event,” adding that the incident is under investigation.

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending next-of-kin notification and release by the Defense Department.

(Report by John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service.)

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