U.S. Forces Japan has admitted that the recent arrest of a U.S. civilian and former Marine captain in Japan was a “mistake” and that the military is conducting an investigation into the incident.
A viral video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows a U.S. military police officer slamming Kareem El, a 32-year-old U.S. civilian and former Marine captain, onto the ground in Okinawa City, Japan. In the video, U.S. military police can also be seen arresting the civilian.
In a Friday email to Stars and Stripes, Col. John Severns, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan, said, “While the investigation is still ongoing, it is clear that the detention of Mr. El was a mistake on the part of the patrol, who approached him solely because they believed he was a U.S. servicemember.”
According to Stars and Stripes, Severns confirmed on November 26 that Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Jost, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, had stopped unilateral U.S. military patrols on Okinawa and launched an investigation into the incident. Severns also confirmed that El was detained by a patrol of U.S. military police.
Stars and Stripes reported that U.S. Forces Japan started conducting joint patrols in April as part of the enforcement of an order preventing military members from consuming alcohol off the local military base between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. following multiple sexual assault allegations reported in 2023. The outlet noted that the U.S. military started conducting unilateral patrols in September.
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According to Stars and Stripes, El told the outlet that he was detained without provocation in front of a local bar at roughly 2 a.m. on November 22. El told NBC News 4 that he was visiting friends and was in Okinawa near Kadena Air Base.
“One minute I was standing outside, kind of minding my business,” El said. “The next minute, I was being asked for an ID.”
“After not providing that ID, I found myself being assaulted, being taken to the ground,” El added. “Shortly thereafter, illegally detained and then being taken to the parking lot of a military base where, eventually, it was noted that I was not in the military and was released, but the events leading up to that were deeply traumatizing.”
According to Stars and Stripes, Lee Merritt, the attorney representing the former Marine captain, claimed that El sustained wrist lacerations, cuts, abrasions, a head injury, and “significant psychological trauma” as a result of the November incident.