Text messages obtained by law enforcement officials show that Chief Gallagher, who is well known among Navy SEALs, spread the names of his accusers to other SEALs on both coasts. The boy had a collapsed lung and couldn't breathe so Gallagher opened his throat to insert a breathing tube, he testified. A number of special forces members are on trial this year. Gallagher faces allegations that he shot at an old man and a young girl, which the defense denies ever happened. Dille, clearly uncomfortable before responding, then said, Development Group.. On Thursday, the prosecutions star witness, medic Navy SEAL Special Operator 1st Class Corey Scott, shocked the courtroom by admitting that he was the one who killed a wounded Islamic State in Iraq and Syria fighter, not Gallagher, as he is accused of doing. Special Operations Chief Craig Miller, who was also part of The Sewing Circle, testified that he saw Gallagher stab the captive multiple times with a custom-made knife Gallagher would carry in the belt loops of his pants. National SecurityPoliticsAndrea GallagherCorey ScottEddie GallagherLt. The email was addressed to Brian Ferguson, a civilian lawyer representing Special Operator Scott. Among the witnesses to testify Friday was Dalton Tolbert, a member of SEAL Team 7 who served with Gallagher in Mosul in 2017. Thanks for contacting us. The Sewing Circle, the WhatsApp group chat, formed with a select few members of Alpha platoon after they returned to San Diego from their deployment in 2017. Gallagher also took photos of himself with the corpse. He wrote: 'I'm going to burn this mother******g courthouse to the ground,' the defense team claims one read. Nearly a dozen SEALs have testified over the past two weeks. He told the court his dream of doing covert operations with Team 6 is likely over now that hes been publicly identified in the case. 'This is a group of young disgruntled sailors that didn't like being told that they were cowards,' the lawyer said and added they made the story up. The Marine Corps also pulled a deputy prosecutor from the case. I want to say it to all, if you choose Eddie Gallagher and this real brotherhood and if affects myself or anyone i consider a true brother, I think our friendship will end there. He also brought up text messages Tolbert sent that were critical of the judge a Navy captain who he called "shady" and Parlatore, who he referred to as a "retard lawyer," in addition to claims that he currently worked with people who didn't care about killing innocent civilians. Grinning and bearing it? After hearing firing from the north tower, Vriens who was stationed in the south said he aimed his scope towards the bridge and saw four little girls. A Navy prosecutor immediately leapt from his chair in the courtroom and angrily accused Special Operator Scott of lying, saying that on one crucial point after another, his testimony contradicted what he had told Navy criminal investigators and lawyers in at least five interviews. Former SO1 Dylan Dille, who was also in the south tower that day, testified last week that he watched an old man die from a sniper shot on Father's Day. In text messages Parlatore read in court between some of the SEALs, he quoted Tolbert as saying they should report their leadership to mental health professionals so "it can be used as ammo later.". Defense attorney Tim Parlatore, however, said those statements were back in January and "a lot had happened since then." IDGA*. Graffam testified that Gallagher was essentially justified in the shooting of a man he is accused of unlawfully targeting, stating that "based off everything I had seen so far in my opinion, they were two sh*theads moving from one side of the road to the other.". Vaccines dont work, masks dont work: Everything government told us about COVID-19 was wrong. Vriens testified that Gallagher said, I stabbed him in the side, grabbed his hair and looked him in the eyes and I stabbed him in the neck.. Tolbert said he had not yet deployed with the unit, which is based in Virginia Beach, Va. "I probably won't," he said. Lt. Jacob Portier, the officer in charge, has been charged separately for overseeing the ceremony and not reporting the alleged stabbing. The trial also has shown the struggles of military courts in prosecuting alleged war crimes. Did Chief Gallagher kill the terrorist? Parlatore asked. I was frustrated with all the continuances.. If convicted of perjury, Special Operator Scott, a SEAL medic, could face up to five years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. Over the radio, he said he heard Gallagher tell the other snipers, "you guys missed him but I got him.". Three SEALs testified that while the platoon was deployed in Iraq, they saw Chief Gallagher fire a sniper rifle repeatedly at unarmed civilians, hitting an old man with a white beard and a school-age girl with a flowered hijab. No matter the outcome, the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the militarys most secretive and revered forces. Special Operator 1st Class Joshua Graffam originally invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege before Navy Judge Capt. Follow Task & Purpose on Twitter. All the forensics show there was no stabbing., Perhaps he saw a movement that wasnt actually a stabbing, Parlatore added. A jury of mostly combat Marines will ultimately decide the fate of the 19-year-veteran and Bronze Star recipient charged with murder, attempted murder and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for posing with the corpse for photographs. WebAt the time, Tolbert was a member of SEAL Team 7 Alpha Platoon who was stationed in the south tower of a bombed out building, while Gallagher and others were stationed in Gallagher is also charged with attempted murder in the wounding of two civilians, a schoolgirl and an elderly man, shot from a snipers perch in Iraq. He has pleaded not guilty. As Ive said since the beginning of this case, the best defense for Chief Gallagher is the truth. In the thread, Gallagher was referred to as El Diablo, Spanish for the devil., Not sure how to handle him, Scott texted. A jury of mostly combat Marines will ultimately decide the fate of the 19-year veteran and Bronze Star recipient charged with murder, attempted murder and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for posing with the corpse for photographs. Parlatore then brought up text messages in the thread sent by SO1 Dalton Tolbert, who was a sniper for SEAL Team 7 Alpha Platoon during their 2017 Iraq 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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I aimed to the side far to the side and fired, he said, He ran from the river bank to a building, but the door was locked, Tolbert said. When asked by Parlatore who Tolbert worked with, Dille acknowledged it was SEAL Team 6. In his testimony, Dille told Parlatore he took the supposed threat against the courtroom as a joke. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. The trial had been delayed when a former prosecutor and Navy investigators were found to have attempted to track defense attorneys emails as part of an investigation into media leaks. Now the incident is under review. An Iraqi general who handed the wounded prisoner to the SEALs testified that Gallagher did not stab the boy. The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. A U.S. Navy SEAL last month pleaded guilty to hazing and assault charges for his role in the 2017 strangulation of a U.S. Army Green Beret in Africa. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. "I took the shot. He testified that he did not see anything like Dille had described. The comment about not caring whether civilians were killed was significant since Tolbert and others had claimed that they were disturbed by Gallaghers alleged behavior. Tolbert said he had heard a shot from the tower Gallagher was in and he heard Gallagher say over the radio, You guys missed him but I got him. Gallaghers lead defense attorney, Timothy Parlatore, has said in court that some of the witnesses against Gallagher conspired together to concoct false stories about his client. On Friday, Special Warfare Operator First Class Dalton Tolbert testified that on the day of the alleged stabbing, a group of petty officers first class met together to discuss it. I see an issue with that, Tolbert texted others. Vriens was not in the same tower. Aaron Rugh gave him immunity in order to compel his testimony. Paul Szoldra was the Editor in Chief of Task & Purpose from October 2018 until August 2022. The man ran away, Tolbert said, but fell after another sniper fired. Two SEALs testified they saw Gallagher plunge his knife into his neck, including Special Operator Corey Scott, who stunned the court when he said he was the one who ultimately killed the teen by plugging his breathing tube with his thumb as an act of mercy. I saw the girl in the gray dress grab her stomach and fall to her knees, Vriens said. 'This is a group of young disgruntled sailors that didn't like being told that they were cowards and so they decided they conspired to take down the chief. One SEAL claimed that he tried to justify it by calling him 'just an ISIS dirtbag' once he had died. Prosecutors say Gallagher, 39, who began his 18-year career as a medic, briefly treated the young Islamic State fighter, then pulled out his knife and stabbed him in the neck. The trial of Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher resumed Friday with prosecutors expected to call two Navy SEAL snipers to testify on charges he shot at innocent civilians while he led a SEAL platoon deployment to Iraq in 2017. During the deployment, the platoon had men in two bombed-out towers near the Tigris River east of Mosul. How fitting! Special Operator Scott testified Thursday that he was near Mosul, Iraq, in 2017 with his platoon leader, Chief Gallagher, when a wounded teenage Islamic State fighter was brought to them by Iraqi troops. Another SEAL, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Dalton Tolbert, had previously testified under direct examination by prosecutors that, while stationed in the Gallagher has claimed he only tried to give him help. Defense attorney Timothy Parlatore shot back that maybe the Real Brotherhood are older guys who dont like you and other SEALs who tell lies.. The Real Brotherhood is people who are OK with war crimes, said Dylan Dille, a former SEAL sniper who testified that Gallagher took shots at civilians from the sniper tower, hitting an old man and a young girl. He later boasted in a text, got him with my hunting knife. Defense lawyers say it was just a warriors attempt at dark humor. Scott may now face perjury charges and the prosecution plans to continue with the case. I saw Eddie Gallagher shoot someone who didnt deserve to die, Tolbert said. Weeks before the trial, Tolbert, who was accepted to the famed SEAL Team 6 that killed Osama bin Laden, sent a text urging his teammates to speak up no matter what was at stake. Later that day, after the mission, Graffam said he spoke with Dille about the shooting and they disagreed about the circumstances. The seven-sailor jury at the court martial must decide whether the fighters death was murder as alleged by the prosecution or a mutiny by sailors under Gallaghers command in Iraq, as the defense contends. The court-martial has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the militarys most secretive and revered forces. The Navy notified the witness, Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, on Tuesday that it was considering charging him with lying under oath in the trial of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, according to an email sent to the witnesss lawyer. Goldbeck will run for the fourth district seat, now held by Nathan Fletcher, which could open in two to four years depending on the success of his state Senate bid. Once court resumed with the jury present, Parlatore then asked whether Tolbert had ever said in text messages that he was going to burn this motherfucking court room to the ground, a reference to where the trial was taking place at Naval Base San Diego. Today, the truth started to come out, Parlatore said during a press conference. SAN DIEGO (AP) It was called the "The Sewing Circle," an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. "I shot more warning shots to save civilians from Eddie than I ever did at ISIS.". Gallaghers wife, Andrea, told reporters after Thursdays court session ended: Weve been patiently waiting for the truth to come out. Hes also charged with shooting civilians and, on other occasions, shooting indiscriminately at Iraqi non-combatants. 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