May 12 (Bloomberg) -- The father of Nick Berg, the American civilian beheaded in Iraq, has criticized the U.S. military for detaining his son and preventing him from leaving the country as planned at the end of March, before a recent escalation of violence that included the kidnapping of foreigners.

Nick Berg, 26, was in Iraq to find work on communications towers, his parents told reporters yesterday at their home in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as they recounted their contacts with him. Unable to get a job in Iraq, he planned to come home at the end of March, they said. A week before he was to leave, his calls to them stopped.

Days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation told the Bergs their son was arrested by Iraqi police and turned over to U.S. custody. His parents sued the U.S. Defense Department to force his release, and he was freed after 13 days, on April 6. He told his parents he would be leaving Iraq immediately. They last heard from him on April 9. U.S. authorities notified the Bergs of his death after his body was found Saturday in Baghdad.

Michael Berg told reporters the U.S. government held his son illegally, creating a delay that kept him in Iraq amid increasing violence. Berg's death was depicted on a video tape in which his killers said they were taking revenge for the abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

``I think that they caused his death indirectly by detaining him without any rights,'' Michael Berg told reporters. ``Even after detaining him I think they at least had an obligation to get him safely out of the country.''

Advised to Leave

Berg was in Iraq on his own, not in the employ of the U.S. government or a contractor, and had refused to heed advice to leave Iraq, a U.S. official told the Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official refused to elaborate and said more information on the case would be available later Wednesday.

Video of the killing by five men wearing headscarves was posted on an Islamic Web site. It said Berg was killed by an al- Qaeda-affiliated group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to avenge the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

The video bore the title ``Abu Musab al-Zarqawi shown slaughtering an American.'' The U.S. says Jordanian Zarqawi is leading al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. He is wanted in connection with the murder of a U.S. aid official in Jordan.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell late yesterday issued a statement on the PRNewswire condemning Berg's death.

``This incident demonstrates the need for us to carry out our justice system as quickly and fairly as we can so that the appropriate discipline can be meted out to the offenders and those responsible for what Americans did to Iraqi men and women at Abu Ghraib,'' Rendell said. ``The sooner we find out who was responsible and give them their day in court, we can mete out significant discipline.''

Berg's body will be flown from Kuwait to the U.S. for burial today, Cable News Network reported.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Heather Langan in London at  hlangan@bloomberg.net.
Lou Giserman in New York at  lgiserman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Peter Torday at  ptorday@bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: May 12, 2004 06:38 EDT  

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