Well, let's just say that I was 'open' on this one until I read the above. This is more than just 'fishy' ... keep digging, the truth will come out soon enough. I do hope that he was taken prisoner and that the above is easily explainable but I can't for the life of me think how.
Which all could have been disinformation designed to maintain Hassoun's cover for an Op. We just don't know at this point... what we do know is that he has not been charged with a crime yet.
Remember the fragging incident at the start of the war? That guy was identified and charged IMMEDIATELY with the crime. Hassoun hasn't been accused or charged with anything. And it seems to me that there has been plenty of time for the MILITARY (not the uninformed armchair Judges here in Freepland) to at least suspect him, if there is reason to suspect him...
And the author of this article has mentioned the empty locker and bank accounts - but I suspect those "comments" are based on old information from back when Hassoun was still missing. I doubt the military has said anything like that RECENTLY, or else Hassoun would be a suspect being held for interrogation. He is not - he is supposedly being repatriated and prepared to return to his unit.
And why would the Marine Corps allow him to make a statement to the press? The Marine Corps would have obviously approved every single word Hassoun said... why would they allow him to say he didn't desert, if they think he did? Surely it can't be so they can charge him with "lying" in addition to deserting. ;-) LOL
Not much about this makes sense right now. I'm soooo looking forward to reading the book some day. :-)