A military witness has added weight to a war crime-accused SAS trooper’s claims that the Afghan man he shot and killed had a Taliban radio planted on him.
Special Air Service Regiment trooper Oliver Jordan Schulz was charged with the war crime of murder after footage emerged of him firing three shots at Dad Mohammad during a mission in May 2012.
Mohammad was lying on his back in a wheat field in Dehjawze when he was killed.
Prosecutors have compelled a number of military witnesses to testify at a committal hearing at Sydney‘s Downing Centre Local Court in order to see what evidence they will likely give if the matter proceeds to trial.
On Tuesday, one witness who was a signal operator at the time was asked about “throwdowns” – a practice where radios, guns or other incriminating evidence is planted on a body before it is photographed to make it seem like a legitimate kill.
Military reports viewed by AAP claim that Mohammad was seen with a Taliban radio.
He was also alleged to have dropped a mobile phone connected to an insurgent known by the codename Young Akira who was the target of the Dehjawze mission.
“Do you know what a throwdown is?” asked prosecutor Sean Flood SC on Tuesday.
“I’ve heard the term before,” the witness said.
“Had you heard the term before the end of rotation 17?” Flood asked.
“No,” the witness responded.
Rotation 17 was the special forces deployment to Afghanistan that Schulz was sent on.
The witness, who was not in Schulz’s troop, said he had not seen anyone with a Taliban radio on the day the war crime was allegedly committed.
He also did not see Schulz shoot Mohammad or hear anyone speak about planting anything on the deceased man’s body, the court heard.
Footage from a helmet-mounted camera shows Schulz and his patrol coming into Dehjawze by helicopter before disembarking, running past a compound and across aqueducts, before coming across Mohammad.
A report summarising Mohammad’s movements claimed he was seen “tactically manoeuvring” and displayed “hostile intent” before being killed.
Earlier on Tuesday, evidence from a soldier who was present when Schulz pulled the trigger was heard entirely in closed court away from the public eye.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.
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