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KABUL : An alleged American bounty hunter on trial for running a private jail, kidnapping and torturing prisoners in Afghanistan accused FBI agents of seizing evidence proving his links to US authorities.
Jonathan K. Idema told an Afghan court the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had taken from the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) hundreds of videotapes, photos and documents detailing his links with the FBI, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the US Defence Department.
"In front of the judge is the receipt that the FBI signed. Why did the judge allow the FBI to take evidence from the NDS?" Idema said, alleging 500 pages of documents, 200 videotapes and at least 400 photos detailing his links with the agencies had been seized.
"Now it's at the US embassy where noone is ever going to see it."
Idema, wearing dark sunglasses and a khaki army shirt with a US flag on the shoulder, was in the dock with co-defendants Brent Bennet, also in khakis, Edward Caraballo, who wore a traditional long Afghan smock over trousers, and their four Afghan partners.
The seven men were arrested July 5 from a house in west Kabul where they were allegedly running a private prison and counter-terrorism operation, apparently hoping to score the millions of dollars on offer for the capture of top Al-Qaeda suspects
including the terror network's chief Osama bin Laden.
Bin Laden has a 25 million dollar bounty on his head.
Idema accused Judge Abdul Baset Bahktiari of presiding over a sham trial, withholding the evidence he and his co-defendents needed to defend themselves, and of preventing them from calling witnesses.
"I can't defend myself like this. Just give me 15 years and let's get it over with," he said.
Idema claims that he and his partners were working with the full knowledge of US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to hunt down suspected terrorists.
"Everyone knew what we were doing. We were not in the United States military but we were working with the United States military," he said.
Both the US and Afghan governments have disavowed any ties with Idema's outfit.
But since Idema's first court appearance on July 21, US-led coalition forces have admitted they took a terror suspect arrested by Idema into custody, later releasing him after
US forces found he was not a wanted militant.
Idema claims he foiled a plot to blow up the US airbase at Bagram with fuel trucks and attempts to assassinate Afghan defence minister Mohammed Qasim Fahim and former education minister Yunus Qanooni, who is running against Hamid Karzai in October 9 presidential elections.
Judge Bahktiari said Idema had to prove the legitimacy of his operation.
"You have saved the life of Minister Qanooni, and the people you have arrested were terrorists and Al-Qaeda, but what we want you to prove first is the legitimacy of your operation in Afghanistan," he told Idema.
US-led coalition forces and NATO-led peacekeepers said they were duped into helping Idema's team, who wore US-style uniforms, believing they were legitimate special forces operatives.
Idema said the US government severed its links with him after Afghan radio broadcast a report saying he had tortured Afghans.
"As soon as the word torture hit the
Afghan airwaves the US government said 'woo-hoo' we don't want anything to do with these guys."
He denied claims of torture made by several Afghans who had been detained by his group.
"We used very standard interrogation techniques...and everyone was very concerned about Abu Ghraib," he said, referring to the Iraq prison abuse scandal.
Several former captives have said they were beaten, scalded with hot water and kept without food or water for days.
US forces here are already under fire from rights groups for their alleged mistreatment of detainees in Afghanistan, several of whom have died while in custody.
The case has shone a spotlight on the shadowy world of security and counter-terrorism in a country where US-led forces and international peacekeepers stay close to their bases, leaving a wide swathe for private security contractors to operate.
The seven men face jail sentences of between 16 and 20 years if found guilty.
US news
reports said Idema was a bounty hunter who had spent time in jail for fraud and had formerly fought with Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan.
- AFP
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