Finally, charges in the Terry murder announced by (surprise!) one of the Gunwalker conspirators. The timing & the motive are too, too obvious.

Manuel Osorio-Arellanes, alleged murderer of Brian Terry.

U.S. Attorney Dennis K. "Iron River" Burke, protege of Janet Napolitano and Gunwalker conspirator who helped put the Kalashnikov in the hands of Osorio-Arellanes that he used to kill Brian Terry.

CBS reports that Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and two other unnamed conspirators have been charged with the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry by Janet Napolitano protege, U.S. Attorney Dennis K. "Iron River" Burke.

Nearly five months after Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down near the Arizona-Mexico border, today a federal judge unsealed 14 count indictment charging Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and at least two others with Terry's murder. At today's arraignment, Osorio-Arellanes pleaded not guilty.

Though others were charged, only Osorio-Arellanes was named in the indictment because the others are fugitives and their identities remain under seal.

"Today's incitement is an important step, but it is only a first step to serving justice on behalf of Agent Brian Terry," U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke said in a statement.

U.S. Attorney Burke, who announced today's indictment, was also the U.S. Attorney on a major ATF alleged gunwalking operation in Phoenix known as "Fast and Furious".(Emphasis supplied, MBV.

Terry's death is at the center of the so-called "gunwalker" controversy at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Insiders say ATF used a controversial intelligence-gathering strategy called lettings guns "walk," and allowed thousands of assault weapons to hit the streets to see where they'd end up.

As CBS News has reported, two AK-47 variant assault rifles that ATF allegedly let "walk" were found at the murder scene of Agent Terry on Dec. 14. According to the indictment unsealed today, Osorio-Arellanes was part of an "armed group of illegal aliens that engaged in a firefight with Agent Terry and other border patrol agents...One of the group shot Agent Terry who died of the wound." Osorio-Arellanes was also wounded in the exchange and has been in federal custody on felony immigration charges.

FOX reports: "Three Men Charged In Murder Of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry; Questions Over U.S. Program Linger."

Just days after lawmakers repeated calls for justice in the killing of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, at least three men have now been charged in connection with the murder. The move, however, will not end questions over whether investigative tactics employed by parts of the Justice Department played a role in Terry's death.

On Friday, authorities unsealed an indictment against Manuel Osorio-Arellanes and two other Mexican nationals, charging them with murder and weapons and conspiracy charges. Osorio-Arellanes was already in U.S. custody, but the other two, whose names remain under seal, are still at large.

"Today's indictment is an important step in this case, but it is only a first step to serving justice on behalf of Agent Brian Terry, his family and the other agents who were with Terry and their families," U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke said in a statement. "This is an active ongoing investigation that is making more and more progress every day." (Emphasis supplied, MBV.)

Burke, who served as Chief of Staff to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano from 2003 to 2008 (described here as Janet's "long-time right hand man") and who was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona on 16 September 2009 (just in time to work on the Fast and Furious portion of the Gunwalker scandal), is famously quoted as saying that, in his expert opinion, an “iron river” of weapons flows from Phoenix to Mexico.

Well, hell, he ought to know since he facilitated the Gunwalker scandal from the U.S. Attorney's office in Phoenix.


"Janet's man" -- Janet Napolitano & Dennis Burke, circa 2007.

Burke is not just some low-level USA, for he was also recently appointed to serve on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC) which advises the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues at the Department of Justice and he was also selected to be the Chair of the AGAC Subcommittee on Border and Immigration Law Enforcement.

The timing of this indictment is no accident.

Congressman Issa and Senator Grassley just raked Holder over the coals about the weak DOJ-ger excuse that Gunwalker scandal documents could not be released because that might interfere with the "Fast and Furious" indictments for straw buying. They told Issa that they weren't interested in investigating "meth addict" straw buyers, but the DOJ itself.

But now, after doing nothing but covering up for almost five months, the DOJ will say with this oh-too-convenient indictment, that it is a MURDER investigation that Issa and Holder are dabbling with so DOJ still can't cooperate with the subpoenas. What horseshit.

Now, if I was a hot-shot attorney, or I had the money to hire same, I would make sure that Osorio-Arellanes dumped his court-appointed defense attorney and got the very best lawyering possible. I just KNOW that the discovery phase of this trial, handled by a competent attorney, would blow the lid off the prosecution and the Gunwalker scandal, both at the same time.

But for now, they are so desperate to come up with something, ANYTHING, to try to slow down Issa and Grassley that they are willing to bring a fatally flawed case into federal court because it is the only flimsy excuse they can think of.

Pathetic.