The last surviving perpetrator of the deadly 2012 insurgent attack on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan has been sentenced to death by an Afghan court, though the case remains in review.
Marine Corps spokesman Maj. John Caldwell confirmed that Mohammed Nazeer, 24, had been found guilty of violating Afghan law and designated for the death penalty. The development was first reported by the Washington Post.
Nazeer was one of 15 armed attackers dressed in Army uniforms and carrying automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades who stormed Camp Bastion, a British airfield adjoining the Marines' Camp Leatherneck, on the night of Sept. 14, 2012. The attack was ultimately quelled, but not before the attackers destroyed six AV-8B Harrier jets and killed two Marines: Lt. Col. Chris Raible, 40, and Sgt. Bradley Atwell, 27.
Caldwell said the Marine Corps was notified of Nazeer's sentencing Sept. 10. It was handed down earlier this year and affirmed July 6 by an Afghan appellate court, he said. The case now stands before the Afghan Supreme Court for a final review. Caldwell said he didn't have a timeline for a decision by the Afghan court.
The Raible and Atwell families were notified of the development by Marine casualty assistance call officers Sept. 11, he said.
Officials said Marine Corps Central Command has also requested copies of Nazeer's court proceedings in order to make them available to the families.
An investigation into the attack would ultimately result in the relief of two Marine general officers. Investigators found, among other things, that poor lighting and half-manned guard towers had left the base vulnerable to attack.
One Marine officer, Maj. Robb McDonald, received the Silver Star for heroically directing a response to the attackers, personally shooting one and directing helicopter strikes that killed two others. Raible was also nominated for a Silver Star.
