The marine who disappeared in Iraq in June and later turned up in his native Lebanon was charged with desertion yesterday by the United States Marine Corps, according to a statement from officials at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, 24, has said he was captured from his military camp near Falluja and held against his will for three weeks by enemy forces this summer. A videotape showing Corporal Hassoun blindfolded with a sword above his head was released in June before he reappeared in Lebanon in early July. But after a five-month investigation, the Marines charged him with taking an unauthorized leave from the unit, where he worked as an Arabic interpreter. He is also charged with loss of government property, theft of a military firearm we well as theft and wrongful appropriation of a government vehicle, according to the statement. Corporal Hassoun, who is a Muslim, was born in Lebanon but became an American citizen sometime after moving to the United States in 2000. He lived in West Jordan, Utah, before joining the Marines in 2002. He has been assigned as a motor vehicle operator at Camp Lejeune since his return. He was not taken into custody as a result of the charges. Full Story
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