A US Air Force service member has been arrested earlier this month and is now in military pre-trial confinement over suspected involvement in an insider attack that left American troops injured.
The arrest made on June 16 was announced on Tuesday by the Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek, who explained that the soldier was placed in custody at the behest of his commander.
Stefanek noted that it’s too early in the process to speak of an indictment that would stem from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division’s joint investigation into the attack.
The Pentagon said later that the airman, who has not been publicly identified, is in custody for the April 7 insider attack on the American base ‘Green Village’, noting that he’s likely to be charged within the next few weeks.
The Army CID and Air Force OSI initially believed the attack was the result of indirect artillery or rocket fire on Green Village in Northern Syria where US troops have close cooperation with local Kurdish fighters.
The Pentagon, however, indicated earlier this month they’ve found evidence of deliberately placed explosive charges and that they have a possible suspect in the case among US service members.
The investigation showed that the explosives used in the attack were significant and had more detonation power than a hand grenade and were deemed military grade. The blast that struck the facility late at night injured four soldiers which were later treated for traumatic brain injuries.
The security footage from the base allegedly reportedly shows an unidentifiable figure moving quickly across the frame in two instances though it’s not clear if the same individual is on both clips.
Despite repeated objections from the Damascus government about the years-long US troop presence in Syria, the Biden administration acknowledged that around 900 American troops are deployed in Syria, mostly in the country’s northeast.
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