CIA contractor charged for beating Afghan prisoner to death

A US federal grand jury charged on Thursday a contractor employed by the CIA for the death of a prisoner in Afghanistan, the first case against a civilian related to the prisoner abuse scandal, Attorney General John Ashcroft announced.

David Passaro, 38, a former Army Ranger engaged in paramilitary activities in support of US military personnel, was charged in a four-count indictment by the grand jury in North Carolina, where he lives.

Passaro was accused of beating the inmate, identified as Abdul Wali, with his fists and a flashlight in June 2003 at a detention center near the Pakistan border, according to the indictment.

Wali, who had voluntarily surrendered and was questioned by Passaro about recent rocket attacks against a US military base near the detention center, died in his cell on June 21, 2003, the indictment said.

"During these interrogations on June 19 and June 20, 2003, it is alleged that Passaro beat Wali repeatedly using his hands and feet and a large flashlight," Ashcroft said at a news conference.

Passaro was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm and two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison.

Amid an international uproar over the appalling prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, the Pentagon disclosed last month that the military has launched criminal investigations into 33 homicide deaths of prisoners held by American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. There have been three confirmed deaths of detainees at prisons in Afghanistan.