Noticia nº22.302

/noticias.info/ BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Defense Department announced Thursday the status change from “captured” to “returned to military control” for Marine Cpl. Wassef A. Hassoun.

Corporal Hassoun, 24, of Salt Lake City, Utah, safely arrived at the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon Thursday.

Cpl Hassoun is assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

He was last seen on June 19 aboard Camp Fallujah, Iraq, and was initially reported as missing when he failed to show for duty on June 20. His unit conducted an exhaustive search, which proved unsuccessful.

After initially being listed as missing, a preliminary inquiry into his absence indicated he had deserted, and as a result he was subsequently characterized as a deserter. A video shown on international television June 27 depicted the Marine being held by masked captors, which caused his status to be changed to captured June 28.

The circumstances regarding his whereabouts between 19 June and 8 July are under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.