EOD Airman Charged With Aggravated Assault With Explosives

Washington, D.C. Airforce officials have charged an EOD Airman, Tech Sgt. David D. Dezwaan Jr., with planting explosives at a base in northeast Syria in April that injured four American military personnel.

The attack happened in April at a small base known as Green Village. Authorities with Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State militants, initially thought the explosion resulted from artillery or mortar rounds.

U.S. Central Command officials said in a statement about a week after the detonation that, "upon further investigation, OIR officials assess the explosions in Green Village were not the result of indirect fire but rather the deliberate placement of explosive charges at an ammunition holding area and shower facility".

The EOD Airman faces charges of aggravated assault, destroying military property, and dereliction of duty, among other charges.

Dezwaan will face an Article 32 hearing later this month at Hill Air Force Base to determine if he will face trial. The Air Force also alleges that he used a personal device to photograph classified material. It is unclear if that charge was related to the April incident or if the photos were discovered during the investigation. In any case, Dezwaan faces significant jail time if convicted as some of the charges carry a maximum punishment of 10 years for a single count.