Jordan releases shocking security footage showing one of their soldiers killing three U.S. Army Green Berets - despite the Americans waving their hands in peace
- Jordan has released security footage showing the November 4, 2016 shooting of three U.S. Army Green Berets
- Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27 were killed as they tried to enter the al-Jafr base
- Last week, a Jordanian military court sentenced 1st Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha to life in prison with hard labor
- Al-Tuwayha said he opened fire because he feared the base was under attack, but Jordan's military said he 'acted against orders'
- The six-minute-long video shows a group of vehicles trying to get onto the base when someone out of view of the camera starts shooting
- Lewellen and McEnroe, were in the first vehicle and were the first to be hit
- Moriarty and another soldier jumped out of the next two cars to take cover and returned fire with their pistols
- Eventually, they wave their hands in the air to signify they are peaceful
- But Al-Tuwayha comes running out of the base and shoots and kills Moriarity
Jordan's military released security camera footage Monday of a shooting in which a Jordanian soldier killed three U.S. military trainers at an air base in the kingdom.
The video had previously been shown to the families of the U.S. Army Green Berets by U.S. law enforcement but had not been made public until Monday.
The soldiers were killed on November 4, when their convoy came under fire at the entrance to the al-Jafr base in southern Jordan.
A Jordanian military court sentenced the soldier, 1st Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha, to life in prison with hard labor last week.
Jordan has released video showing the November 2016 shooting of three U.S. Army Green Berets by one of their soldiers, 1st Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha
The video shows a caravan of vehicles trying to get onto the al-Jafr base in Jordan, when gunfire starts somewhere off camera. In this frame, you can see how a bullet caused a window to crack in the rear truck
Two men are seen exiting the rear two trucks and then seeking shelter behind some nearby concrete barriers
At first, it appears that the soldiers are shooting back, but eventually they throw their hands up, indicating they are peaceful
After a few moments, the two soldiers decide to seek shelter at a different set of concrete barriers across the road
The second soldier is seen sprinting across the road to the second hiding place
At this point, the Jordanian soldier comes out, armed with his rifle, searching for the pair
The defendant had said he opened fire because he feared the base was coming under attack and that he had acted in line with open-fire regulations.
Jordan's military said in a statement Monday that the soldier 'had acted against orders and military instructions and had not acted in self-defense.'
The statement was posted by Hala Akhbar, a news site linked to the military that also released the security camera footage.
Jordan initially said the Americans triggered the shooting by disobeying entry rules, a claim that was later withdrawn.
The Jordanian soldier points his weapon into one of the trucks, finding no one
Eventually, he spots the two soldiers in their new hiding place and springs there, firing
The soldiers fire back as they are fired upon, as shown in the above surveillance footage
The Jordanian soldier and one of the others point their weapons at each other in the above grab from the surveillance footage
After a struggle, it appears that one of the soldiers has taken the Jordanian down, and he lifts his hands up in surrender as another Jordanian apperas
The victims of the shooting were Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27, of Kirksville, Missouri; Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas.
The 6-minute-long video was in line with descriptions previously given by the relatives of the American soldiers who had watched the footage.
It shows the U.S. convoy coming under fire at the entrance to the base. The footage has no sound, but puffs of white-gray smoke indicate gunfire.
At one point, two figures, U.S. forces, are seen getting out of their vehicles to take cover. They raise their hands and wave from behind a barrier, but the shooting continues. Another figure, according to past descriptions the Jordanian, chases them and keeps shooting.
Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, 27 (left); Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe, 30 (center); and Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty, 27 (right) were the three killed in the incident
Last week, a Jordanian military court sentenced 1st Sgt. Marik al-Tuwayha (left, behind bars) to life in prison with hard labor. Al-Tuwayha said he opened fire because he feared the base was under attack, but Jordanian officials said he had 'acted against orders'
According to the descriptions of the relatives, Lewellen and McEnroe, who were in the first vehicle waiting at the gate, were the first to be hit by gunfire.
Moriarty and another soldier jumped out of the next two cars to take cover and returned fire with their pistols. They yelled that they were friendly forces, the relatives said.
The defendant kept shooting, they said. He was seriously wounded in the exchange.
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