A few days ago we saw a report that a freelance Iraqi cameraman working for CBS had been mistakenly shot and wounded by U.S. troops in Iraq.

NEW YORK, April 5 (Reuters) - An Iraqi freelance cameraman who works for CBS News was shot and wounded on Tuesday in northern Iraq by U.S. troops who mistook his camera for a weapon, the U.S. military and CBS News said.

Today the US military announced that this cameraman has been arrested by coalition forces for suspected involvement with the holy warriors—after Iraqi citizens informed on him: U.S. Military: Cameraman Detained in Iraq. (Hat tip: Mudville Gazette.)

Notice how in the new report, he’s described as “carrying CBS press credentials.” When it looked as if the US military had made a mistake, he “worked for CBS News.”

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the U.S. military said Friday.

The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between U.S. soldiers and suspected insurgents, the military said. He was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the statement said. The military issued a statement then saying the cameraman was shot because his equipment was mistaken for a weapon.

But on Friday, the military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed “an imperative threat to coalition forces.”

“He is currently detained and will be processed as any other security detainee,” the statement said.

CBS News spokeswoman Leigh Farris said, “We’re looking into the situation.”

A spokesman for Task Force Freedom, Capt. Mark Walter, said the reporter suffered minor wounds and was with “a number of people” involved in the shootout. Walter said the reporter was detained immediately after the incident, in part because of statements from witnesses to the battle.

Officials are investigating the man’s previous activities as well as “his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities,” the statement said.

UPDATE at 4/8/05 9:53:16 pm:

Roger L. Simon says this is of a piece with the recent AP Pulitzer Prizes for photos taken by photographers embedded with terrorist forces.