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The U.S. military produced only two witnesses to testify at Bilal Hussein's investigative hearing, according to Hussein's lawyer.
In the first details to be revealed about the court proceedings, attorney Paul Gardephe says two Marines who arrested Hussein in 2006 testified against him by videoconference. The military also presented evidence including 64 CDs that contained Hussein's archive of photos and printouts of some of his images. Additionally, the military submitted the result of a positive explosive residue swab test, which Gardephe says may have tested positive because an explosion went off near Hussein's apartment the day he was arrested.
"There were no surprises," Gardephe says. "There was never any evidence that suggested to me that he was performing in any other role than a photographer covering a conflict."
Gardephe spoke to PDN Wednesday, hours after Hussein's release from U.S. military custody.
Hussein's hearings in the Iraqi criminal court system began in December 2007. Little has been known about the hearings, since a judge ordered participants not to discuss the case with the press.
Hussein, accused of working with the Iraqi insurgency, was held for over two years and released only after an Iraqi judicial committee granted him amnesty and a U.S. commander ordered he be set free. Hussein has always maintained his innocence.
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