By Alabama Public Radio
Washington, D.C. – New details have been released about the death of CIA officer and Alabama native Mike Spann. The testimony of a prisoner who was questioned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is in newly disclosed government memos that were obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union as part of its investigation into prisoner abuse. The inmate was questioned about a year ago and was held after the 2001 prison uprising in Afghanistan where Spann was killed. The Winfield native was the first American killed in the war against al-Qaida. The government never gave a complete account of his death, saying only that he was killed by rioting prisoners at the prison. The newly released account suggests that Spann shot a prisoner in self-defense, and that shooting may have partly sparked the uprising.