Florida

Marine’s death drives father to set fire

A distraught father who had just been told his Marine son was killed in combat in Iraq set himself on fire in a Marine Corps van and suffered severe burns Wednesday, police said.

Three U.S. Marines went to a house in Hollywood and told the parents of a 20-year-old Marine that their son had died Tuesday in Najaf, police said.

The father, Carlos Arredondo, 44, then walked into the open garage, picked up a can of gasoline, a propane tank and a lighting device, police Capt. Tony Rode said. He smashed the van’s window with the propane tank and doused the van with gasoline before setting it ablaze.

“The father was in disbelief, same as any of us would be after hearing this kind of news,” Rode said.

Television news stations identified the son as Pfc. Alexander Arredondo. Rode did not confirm that.

California

Witness says several Marines hit Iraqi

An Iraqi inmate who died at a U.S. detention camp was hit by several Marines, including a sergeant accused of kicking him in the chest, a key prosecution witness testified Wednesday.

Pfc. William Roy said he and defendant Sgt. Gary Pittman believed Nagem Hatab, 52, had sold a rifle taken during the ambush of an Army convoy that left 11 soldiers dead and led to the capture of Pfc. Jessica Lynch and five others.

Pittman, he said, pushed the Iraqi, then delivered a strong kick to the man’s chest, sending him to the ground. Roy said he suggested they both leave.

Under cross-examination, Roy described Hatab as a “pretty ornery prisoner.” He added that he believed reasonable and necessary force was used by Marines to subdue Hatab after he resisted commands and, at one point, got out of his flexible handcuffs.

Iraq

Company leaving to save hostages

Two Turkish companies said they were withdrawing their workers from Iraq after militants threatened to behead two kidnapped employees.

Hours later, the two Turkish companies — Usluel and SA-RA — began withdrawing their staff from Iraq, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Private NTV and CNN-Turk televisions broadcast a video Wednesday from a Turkish news agency showing Abdullah Ozdemir and Ali Daskin, who were reportedly kidnapped from a construction site in Iraq. It was not clear when they were abducted.

In the video, the two Turks were seen squatting in front of two armed insurgents and holding up their Turkish passports.

An Arabic voice demanded that their company withdraw from Iraq within 72 hours and warned that otherwise the hostages would be executed, Turkish media reported. The company was not named.