Navy SEAL being held in connection with death in Iraq

SAN DIEGO - A Navy SEAL is being detained at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in connection with the 2017 execution of a detainee in Iraq, according to a Navy Times article.

SEAL officials told the Navy Times that the chief special warfare operator has not been charged with a crime, but Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating. The Navy Times did not identify the SEAL.

"A service member currently assigned to a Naval Special Warfare unit is under investigation by NCIS for professional misconduct while deployed to Iraq in 2017,'' Naval Special Warfare spokeswoman Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence told the Navy Times. "We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and will cooperate fully with investigative authorities.''

According to the publication, the alleged execution of the detainee involved a blade.

The SEAL is detained at the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar, under Rules for Court-Martial 305, the Navy Times reported.

The next step could be a hearing in San Diego to decide whether criminal charges should be filed and a general court-martial convened by an admiral.

An MCAS Miramar spokesman could not be reached for comment.