You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Iraq-Jordan
13 reasons why ’British/Iraqi torture’ photos look phoney
2004-05-03
An expert in Army interrogation last night cast serious doubts on the authenticity of pictures published by the Daily Mirror of British troops allegedly torturing an Iraqi prisoner. In a detailed analysis, Simon Treselyan, who served for 19 years training the SAS in interrogation methods, concludes that the pictures are highly suspicious and could be fake. The former officer, who raises 13 serious questions about the pictures, said last night: "My conclusion is that someone has faked the photographs. For whatever reason, they set out to deceive. "I believe these pictures are not of an Iraqi and they were not taken in Iraq. He raised the following 13 points and gave his expert opinion on each:

1. Why do the pictures appear so static, with no obvious signs that a vicious assault is taking place?

2. Why does the soldier appear to be armed with an SA80 Mk1 rifle which was not issued to British troops in Iraq?

3. Why is there no serial number on the rifle’s foregrip?

4. Why has the soldier’s webbing, where he would store ammunition for the rifle, been left open - against Army regulations?

5. Why has the barrel of the rifle been left uncovered?

6. Why do the pictures appear to have been taken in the back of a type of Bedford truck that was never deployed in Iraq?

7. Why are the soldier’s boots laced in a criss-cross fashion?

8. Why is the alleged torture victim wearing a potato sack made of hessian over his head?

9. Why is the prisoner wearing a T-shirt with the Syrian flag on the front?

10. Why is the soldier wearing a floppy hat?

11. Why is the soldier’s face not visible?

12. Is the picture where the soldier puts a rifle to the prisoner’s head against normal procedure?

13. Why does the soldier have clean hands and clothes?


Mr Treselyan, 45, was a warrant officer in the British Army’s Intelligence Corps until he took voluntary redundancy in October 1994. During his career he trained the SAS and America’s CIA in interrogation techniques and specialised in the debriefing of torture victims.
The questions are answered in the full article at the link.
Posted by:Bulldog

#6  Does it strike any of you as strange that the Iraqi prisoner abuse might be considered recreational activity in San Francisco? See:

http://www.mistersf.com/notorious/index.html?notdavisbday02.htm
Posted by: Anonymous4722   2004-05-03 7:54:02 PM  

#5  The timing of the photo release struck me immediately as suspcious. "Oh! Oh! Them, too! They're bad! Look!!!!"

Please...

Hopefully the American incident will lead to a full investigation where all guilty parties are punished. No matter how high in the chain of command.
Posted by: eLarson   2004-05-03 5:24:08 PM  

#4  Phoney?

Well, there are lots of out-of-work actors from Saddahm's time.

Think of all these TV shows no longer in production :

EVERYBODY LOVES SADDAHM
AVERAGE UDAY
LAW & DISORDER : SPECIAL MAIMING UNIT
THE KING OF TIKRIT

and of course there are many more.

plenty of actors for the fake photos.
Posted by: BigEd   2004-05-03 12:20:55 PM  

#3  I like the photo where he nails the dude in the crotch with a rifle butt.

That's some expert photography to get the exact moment of impact when he get nailed in the balls.
Posted by: Anonymous4021   2004-05-03 11:49:23 AM  

#2  Methinks the pix look phoney cuz they are phoney.
Posted by: .com   2004-05-03 10:52:05 AM  

#1  Oops, the questions aren't answered as such, but the reason for the questions' signifance is gone into in more detail...
Posted by: Bulldog   2004-05-03 10:47:30 AM  

00:00