Washington, D.C.

Army reservist charged in deaths of Afghan detainees

The Army charged a military police reservist with assault and dereliction of duty in connection with the deaths of two Afghans in U.S. military control in Afghanistan, and investigators have implicated about two dozen other soldiers, Army officials said Wednesday.

Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the investigation is not complete and that it is uncertain how many soldiers eventually will face criminal charges. The deaths, on Dec. 3 and Dec. 10, 2002, were ruled homicides by U.S. military medical examiners.

Both of the victims, in their 20s, showed evidence of blunt force injuries.

Criminal charges were filed Aug. 23 against Sgt. James P. Boland of the Army Reserve’s 377th Military Policy Company, based in Cincinnati.

Massachusetts

Sit-in aims to save church

Parishioners at St. Albert the Great church in Weymouth are staging a sit-in prayer vigil, hoping to save the church from being closed as part of a massive reconfiguration by the Roman Catholic Boston Archdiocese.

“If the bank was trying to come take my home, I wouldn’t walk away from it. I’d do everything in my power to keep it,” John Hammel said. “Well, this is my spiritual home, and I’m not going to let it go.”

Although the archdiocese had planned to close St. Albert’s at noon Wednesday, officials have decided to hold off to avoid a confrontation with the parishioners who have stationed themselves there.

“We don’t have any plan right now other than to be patient,” said the Rev. Christopher Coyne, a spokesman for Archbishop Sean O’Malley. “We’re certainly not going to do anything to escalate the situation. As time goes on, we hope to reach a resolution.”