An American airman has been arrested following an investigation into an attack that wounded four troops at a small U.S. base in eastern Syria in April.
“As part of an ongoing investigation, on June 16, an Airman was taken into custody stateside in conjunction with the attack in Green Village, Syria,” Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the Air Force, said in a statement to NBC News.
“After reviewing the information in the investigation, the Airman’s Commander made the decision to place him in pretrial confinement,” according to the statement.
CNN first reported the news of the arrest Tuesday.
Stefanek said it is “too early in the process for a charge sheet,” adding the airman’s name will not be released unless “charges are preferred.”
Earlier this month, the Army said it was looking into an American service member as a possible suspect in a joint investigation between the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
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Officials initially said that the base in Syria had sustained rocket fire, injuring four service members who were treated for minor wounds and possible traumatic brain injuries.
At the time, the military said it suspected Iran or Iranian-backed militia groups.
But the attack was not the result of indirect fire, the military later said. Instead, officials believed that explosives had been placed inside the base prior to the attack.
Marlene Lenthang contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
