Journalists from around the world were converging on the central German city of Mannheim at the weekend to witness the pre-trial hearings of four of the U.S. soldiers implicated in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. The hearings begin Monday at the U.S. Army's Mannheim Legal Center at Taylor Barracks and are to last two days. An official with the army's public affairs office said 40 news agencies alone had sought accreditation, with numerous other newspaper, television, radio and media organisations also expected to watch the proceedings. Security precautions were expected to be tight, with the media to pass through security checks several hours before the hearings begin. Lawyers for the defence had sought the venue change from Baghdad, citing both cost and security considerations. An Army media advisory stressed that "this is a one-time only arrangement" with all future proceedings to take place in Baghdad, unless a military judge grants a venue change. The four accused in Mannheim are Corporal Charles Grainer, Specialist Megan Ambuhl, Specialist Javal Davis and Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick. --More 2254 Local Time 1954 GMT
