President Donald Trump has tweeted that he plans to “review” the case of US soldier Mathew Golsteyn, charged with murdering an Afghan civilian in 2010.
The Army Green Beret Major allegedly shot someone he described as a suspected Taliban bomb-maker during his deployment.
He was charged with murder last week, allegations he denies.
But President Trump has complicated proceedings with his tweet, saying he will now be “reviewing the case”.
Maj Golsteyn “could face the death penalty from our own government”, he wrote, saying he was getting involved in the case “at the request of many”.
It is unclear what the president meant when he posted the tweet.
However, as Commander in Chief of the US armed forces, any intervention by Mr Trump could count as unlawful command influence, and might mean the case against Maj Golsteyn is thrown out.
A Pentagon spokesperson said on Sunday that the allegations against the major are “a law enforcement matter”.
“The Department of Defense will respect the integrity of this process and provide updates when appropriate.”
What are the charges against Maj Golsteyn?
During his deployment to Afghanistan in 2010, then-Captain Golsteyn allegedly shot a man he described as a suspected Taliban bomb-maker.
He allegedly admitted to the killing as part of a lie detector test taken during a CIA…
