U.S. praises Iraqi court after killers of American teacher handed life in prison
'It is critical that all those responsible for the brutal, premeditated assassination of Mr. Troell face justice and accountability,' said the State Department
The U.S. praised an Iraqi court decision on Thursday to sentence four Iraqis and an Iranian to life in prison for killing American Stephen Troell.
“It is critical that all those responsible for the brutal, premeditated assassination of Mr. Troell face justice and accountability,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement. “We once again extend our condolences to Mr. Troell’s family and hope this verdict brings them some measure of justice.”
Troell, an English teacher, was shot dead by at least two gunmen while driving through Baghdad’s Karrada district last November. According to a source cited by Reuters, the murder was orchestrated by the Iranian perpetrator, who remains unnamed, along with the Iraqi convicts.
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The five accused confessed to the murder, AFP said quoting a judicial source, but said that they had intended to kidnap Troell for ransom.
Troell worked at the Global English Institute, a school managed by his wife, Jocelyn. They had lived in Iraq’s capital since 2018 along with their three children.
While some Westerners can be seen in Baghdad's capital unprotected, the U.S. has slammed Iraq's security services for not doing enough to protect Western interests in the city.
Karrada was also the site of the kidnapping of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian abducted by an Iranian-backed group earlier this year.