Luke Elliott Sommer
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Luke Elliott Sommer is the alleged ringleader behind a robbery of 54,011 USD from a Bank of America branch in Tacoma, Washington on August 7th, 2006. He is one of five co-accused. Three of the accused were active duty U.S. Army Rangers with the 75th Ranger Regiment at the time of the robbery. The other two accused are Canadian, one of whom had Canadian military experience. Two other active duty rangers were also arrested over the course of the robbery's investigation.
Presently, Sommer has been indicted in the United States on several charges with multiple counts including but not limited to: possession of a Machine Gun, AK-47 (three counts), possession of an explosive bomb, possession of a hand grenade (three counts), use of a machine gun in the furtherance of a crime of violence, conspiracy to commit bank robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery (casino), and armed bank robbery.
Currently on house arrest at his home in Peachland, British Columbia, Sommer is facing a pending extradition hearing. Sommer was released on bail September 17th, 2006 after a a short hearing. During the hearing Sommer's lawyer argued successfully that Sommer was a resident of Canada (Even in light of his three year assignement to the United States military) and that his involvement with the United States military was, "like being a professional athlete, traveling and operating abroad." With the success of this argument, Chief Justice Dohm placed the Onus on the crown, who failed to prove valid reason for his incarceration pending his extradition hearing.
Sommer is represented by Vancouver area lawyer Sean Hern, of Farris, Vaughn, Wills and Murphy.
[edit] Background Information
Luke Elliott Sommer was born on June 26, 1986 in Kelowna British Columbia, Canada. He is the son of Luke and Christel Sommer (who have since divorced). He is the oldest of six children and has one son, Landon Michael Sommer-Rose who was born on March 2nd, 2003. Sommer was raised as a Christian and was home schooled for a majority of his life. He travelled extensively with his Grandmother, Denise Fichtner, who passed away on August 8th, one day after the robbery in Tacoma.
Sommer joined the Army on June 26th, 2003 and was assigned to a basic training class at Sand Hill, Fort Benning Georgia on November 4th, 2003, graduating on January 27th 2004. After completing OSUT (One Station Unit Training) attended and completed Airborne School on Fort Benning prior to attending the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) in the green fence at Ranger Training Detachment. After completing RIP Sommer was sent to Fort Lewis Washington to the 1st Platoon (Madslashers), Charlie Company, 2nd battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Sommer was at the unit for less than three weeks before he left his girlfriend and newborne son and was shipped to Baghdad Iraq, where he remained until September of 2004.
It was during this deployment that Sommer alleges he witnessed the rape and abuse of Iraqi nationales at the hands of members of the joint government-military Task Force known as Task Force 6-26. After returning from Iraq, Sommer conducted Ranger convalescent skill training which includes hot wiring vehicles, operating heavy machines and basic EMT courses. After spending six months in the United States, Sommer was again deployed with 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, overseas, this time to Bagram Afghanistan.
There Sommer said he became aware of a cover up involving Navy SEALs, and high ranking military officials. After Sommer returned from Afghanistan in September of 2005, he was sent to the United States Army Ranger School. Sommer spent nearly seven months completing the highly prestigeous military leadership school, and although he had to restart the school twice, Sommer managed to comeplete the school on April 7th, 2006.
After attending Ranger School, court documents assert that Sommer began recruiting and training several members of his unit and two civilians for what was called a robbery with "military style precision and planning." After the robbery, Sommer was arrested and detained in the North Fraser Pretrial Centre where other prisoners such as Rakesh Saxena and Robert William Pickton where also held. Sommer was released on bail in September of 2006, and has been on house arrest in Canada for the last several months.
[edit] Sommer's Political Defense and Media Attention
Sommer received significant media attention in 2006. He was interviewed by a variety of television, radio and print outlets, including but not limited to: National Public Radio (US), The National Post (Canada), Rolling Stone Magazine (US), the Seattle Times and the New York Times. This attention stemmed from his Ranger background, his assertion that the AK-47 assault rifles used in the robbery were smuggled back from Iraq, and his charge that his alleged involvement, if proven, was actually an effort to draw public attention to his allegations that Task Force 6-26, a unit he was assigned to during his time overseas, was actively involved in war crimes. These accounts confirmed that United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been interacting with him, and a portion of a recorded call was played on National Public Radio in which a SOCOM officer admits that officers of the rank of Brigadier General and above had been briefed and were concerned. However, in Dec of 2006, the Seattle Times reported that the Criminal Investigaton Division (CID) of the US Army released a statement alleging that Sommer's war crimes allegations were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. It is however interesting to note that the calls between Sommer and SOCOM, in which the officer states the commands interest, occur after the CID statement was released.
The strategy behind Sommer's extradition fight asserts that if he was involved in the robbery, the robbery was a form of political protest to draw attention to the Task Force 6-26 war crimes allegations. The belief is that Canadian authorities would not extradite Sommer for what his defense claims is a "political" crime. Many lay observers balk at the feasibility of this defense, though a few legal commentators have professed that this strategy has enough merit to at least be heard in court. U.S. attorneys arguing for Sommer's extradition claim there was no political motive for the robbery. Rather, the money stolen in the robbery was intended to create a motorcycle gang that would rival the motorcycle gangs controlling crime in the American Pacific Northwest and Canadian British Columbia. Sommer contends however that the US has an ulterior motive in promoting the organized crime element of their story, claiming that the accusations may be a attempt to illicit interest in him by the Hells Angels. He also believes tying him to organized crime is an attempt to place the onus on him to prove why he should be released on bail, according to Canadian law.
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