A U.S. court has found a former CIA contractor guilty of assaulting an Afghan detainee, who later died of his injuries.
The federal jury in North Carolina issued the guilty verdict Thursday on several assault charges against David Passaro for the 2003 incident. He was not charged with murder.
Prosecutors had accused Passaro of using his feet, hands and a flashlight to beat Abdul Wali during interrogation sessions. Wali died from his injuries two days later.
Wali was a suspect in rocket attacks on the U.S. military base in Afghanistan where Passaro was stationed.
Defense attorneys said Passaro was following guidelines approved by his superiors while working as a CIA interrogator.
He is the first U.S. civilian charged for abusing prisoners in Afghanistan since the start of the U.S.-led war in 2001.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.