I killed Iraq colleagues in self defence, says Briton

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Danny Fitzsimons, who could face the death penalty if convicted, was arrested by Iraqi police after the attack in Baghdad's International Zone.

Speaking through an interpreter, Fitzsimons, 37, who worked for security firm ArmorGroup Iraq, said: "I got into a fight with two colleagues and they had me pinned down. I received a real beating.

"They beat me and that's when I reached for my weapon. I was drunk and it happened very quickly."

The two men shot dead on Sunday were Paul McGuigan, from Scotland, and Australian Darren Hoare. Fitzsimons appeared before an Iraqi judge at a brief hearing yesterday and confessed to killing both men.

A friend of Fitzsimons, named only as Richard, told ITV News last night that the former soldier was affected by his experiences in Iraq.

He said: "He's not a cold-blooded murderer, he's just someone that has basically been in a war zone and is reaping the effects."