Who Is Michael Behenna? Trump Pardons Ex-Army Lieutenant Who Killed Iraqi Prisoner

Michael Behenna, a former Army lieutenant who was convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner in 2008, was granted clemency from President Donald Trump on Monday.

Behenna was found guilty of unpremeditated murder in a combat zone and initially sentenced to 25 years for killing Ali Mansur, a suspected al Qaeda operative. The sentence was then reduced to 15 years. Behenna was granted parole in 2014 after spending five years in jail. He, however, maintained that he acted in self-defense.

In a statement Monday evening, the White House said the case “has attracted broad support from the military, Oklahoma elected officials, and the public.”

“Thirty-seven generals and admirals, along with a former Inspector General of the Department of Defense, signed a brief in support of Mr. Behenna’s self-defense claim. Numerous members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation, Oklahoma’s then-Governor Mary Fallin, and current Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter have also expressed support for Mr. Behenna. Further, while serving his sentence, Mr. Behenna was a model prisoner. In light of these facts, Mr. Behenna is entirely deserving of this Grant of Executive Clemency,” the statement read.

Behenna from Edmond, Oklahoma, was an Army Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division. He fatally shot Mansur, an explosives transporter, on the day the latter was released from prison. During his trial, Behenna acknowledged that instead of taking Mansur home, he took the prisoner to a secluded railroad culvert where he stripped him before interrogating him on gunpoint about a roadside bombing that had killed two of his fellow soldiers.

“I stripped him naked to intimidate him. I told him I wanted more intel on local leaders of al-Qaeda, and that I wanted him to tell me about his stops in Saudi Arabia and Syria, and the [roadside] bomb explosion. But he kept saying, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know,’” Behenna said in an interview with the Washington Post.

Behenna shot Mansur twice and during the trial, Behenna said it was an act of self-defense as Mansur threw a chunk of concrete at him and also reached for his handgun.

On Monday night, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, who had requested a pardon for Behenna, praised Trump’s decision saying, “I commend President Trump’s decision to grant a full pardon for Mr. Behenna.”

“Mr. Behenna served his country with distinction, honor and sacrifice. He has admitted to his mistakes, has learned from them and deserves to move on from this incident without living under its cloud for the rest of his life,” he said in a statement.