In September 2011, the Iraqi government reopened their investigation after WikiLeaks published a leaked diplomatic cable in which Philip Alston, United Nations special rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, appeared to support the version of events given by residents in Ishaqi. Alston cabled the US State Department a few weeks after the incident. Alston stated that US forces handcuffed and executed the residents of a house on 15 March 2006.