Three contractors freed in Iraq
By the CNN Wire Staff
December 28, 2011 -- Updated 1503 GMT (2303 HKT)
U.S. Rep. Peter King said he wrote to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to appeal for the release of the security contractors.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Rep. Peter King got involved after the wife of one of the men appealed for help
- The three contractors were detained in central Iraq on December 9
- Two of them are U.S. citizens and military veterans, the third is from Fiji
Baghdad (CNN) -- Three security contractors, two of them American veterans and one from Fiji, have been freed in Iraq almost three weeks after they were detained by the Iraqi Army, U.S. Rep. Peter King said Wednesday.
The men, who were working for a security firm, were arrested by Iraqi Army forces in Mahmudiyah on December 9 but were not charged with any offense, said King, a New York Republican.
"I am pleased that these three men have been released after having been detained," King said. "With the unfortunate and clearly deteriorating security situation in Iraq and with al Qaeda in Iraq still very active, these men were in increasing danger with each passing day."
King said he got involved after being contacted by the wife of one of the men, Army veteran Alex Antiohos of Long Island, New York.
The other two contractors are Jonas March of Savannah, Georgia, and Kevin Fisher of Fiji, he said.
Iraq after the withdrawal
The congressman asked the U.S. State Department for help and wrote to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to appeal for their release, he said in a statement.
King said the three men were detained because the Iraqi military "did not like the 'mission request authorization' paperwork that had been issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior."
The United States is still negotiating with the Iraqi government about whether U.S. contractors will be granted any diplomatic protections under Iraqi law. The final U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq 10 days ago, after a war that lasted almost nine years.
CNN's Adam Levine contributed to this report.
Part of complete coverage on
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 0458 GMT (1258 HKT)
Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng tells CNN about his departure from China and his continuing concern for family and friends.
May 24, 2012 -- Updated 1739 GMT (0139 HKT)
Given recent headlines, you could easily assume something more dramatic than a singing competition was about to descend on Azerbaijan.
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 1213 GMT (2013 HKT)
Formula One's 12 teams have struck an agreement to secure the future of the sport until 2020, Bernie Ecclestone has exclusively told CNN.
May 26, 2012 -- Updated 2013 GMT (0413 HKT)
It was one small interview for astronaut Neil Armstrong ... and one giant scoop for an Australian accountant, of all people.
May 24, 2012 -- Updated 2136 GMT (0536 HKT)
Bastoy prison is on an island in southern Norway. There are no fences or armed guards, and inmates hold the keys to locks.
May 24, 2012 -- Updated 1336 GMT (2136 HKT)
Stars from Barcelona FC will be encouraging reading as part of a project to give one million digital books to African children.
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 0823 GMT (1623 HKT)
We have mixed in the Duke of Edinburgh's gaffes among other famous faux pas. Take our quiz and see how many of Philip's gaffes you can spot.
May 24, 2012 -- Updated 1534 GMT (2334 HKT)
The deadly clashes that are a fact of daily life in Syria have now bled into Lebanon, where sectarian shootouts are raising fears of an end to calm.
May 24, 2012 -- Updated 0746 GMT (1546 HKT)
Eva Wu has kept her teenage son's room unchanged ever since he died last year. Now, she also keeps him close in the form of a diamond.
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 0331 GMT (1131 HKT)
Demonstrators say Twitter posts and Facebook groups brought them to the streets of Mexico's capital and cities around the country.
May 26, 2012 -- Updated 0946 GMT (1746 HKT)
Ben Wedeman explains how much has changed since the last presidential election, but much remains the same.
May 22, 2012 -- Updated 1416 GMT (2216 HKT)
In Delhi, where there are more elephants than Mormons, Manu Joseph explores India's U.S. election-envy and why a Republican is better for India.
May 25, 2012 -- Updated 1149 GMT (1949 HKT)
The wheels are coming off the wagon, says Richard Quest -- and Greece's membership of the eurozone is untenable under the current conditions.
May 22, 2012 -- Updated 1428 GMT (2228 HKT)
Why some observers believe that the full story of who destroyed a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie has still to be uncovered.
Today's five most popular stories
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|