Jury seated in Va. trial of Navy SEAL accused of punching suspected Iraqi mastermind of attack

NORFOLK, Va. – NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A jury has been selected in the court-martial of a Navy SEAL accused of punching a suspected terrorist in Iraq.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe pleaded not guilty Tuesday in military court at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia. A jury of four Navy officers and three enlisted personnel was seated Tuesday morning.

The 24-year-old SEAL from Perrysburg, Ohio, is accused of assaulting Ahmed Hashim Abed, who is suspected of masterminding the gruesome 2004 killings of four American contractors in Fallujah. Two other SEALS who were accused of covering up the assault were acquitted in trials last month in Iraq.

The SEALs have received an outpouring of support from people on the Internet, as well as more than 20 members of Congress who signed a letter urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to put a stop to the prosecution.