US Republicans demand answers in Hezbollah suspect case

Senate Republicans demanded explanation from the Justice Department and Pentagon about the reasons behind the transfer of Ali Moussa Daqduq, a Hezbollah suspect accused in the death of five US soldiers, to Iraqi custody before being charged with war crimes.    

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee wanted assurances that US officials would seek to keep Daqduq in prison, even if the Iraqi judiciary decided to dismiss all the charges against him and release him for lack of evidence.   

The Republicans demanded a copy of the military commission charge sheet against Daqduq, which included an explanation of why the Iraqi prosecution failed, and whether there were US efforts to have him transferred back to US custody or extradited to the United States.    

They also demanded a clarification on why US officials “could not report that criminal charges were being prepared but were not presented to the military committee before handing Daqduq over to the Iraqi government."