Two National Guardsmen appeared in court in Medford, Ore., on Jan. 31 on charges of being involved in a racist attack on an Indian-American motel owner and the beating of a homeless man, Associated Press report said. The two guardsmen had earlier served as peacekeepers in the Middle East.

A third Oregon guardsman allegedly involved in the attack on the motel owner and linked to attacks on three homeless men shot and killed himself early on Jan. 30 after running away from the motel, the police were quoted as saying in the news report.

The news agency quoted police officer Lt. Mike Moran as saying that the two guardsmen who were charged told investigators they were “on a mission” to clean up Medford.

According to the news report, the police said Andrew Patterson, 23, and Aaron St. James, 25, waited in a car in the parking lot while Chad Ritchie, 21, went into the office and assaulted the owner. Moran was quoted as saying that the three targeted the motel-owner, who is from India, under the impression that he was an Arab. When police got to the motel, officers found Patterson and St. James waiting in a car. Ritchie’s body was discovered in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant.

Investigators were also quoted as saying that they had linked the three to an attack on a homeless man the same night.

Patterson was charged with assault in the motel attack and the beating of two homeless men. He was held on Jan. 31 on $300,000 bail. St. James was charged in the motel attack and one of the beatings and held on $100,000 bail. They did not enter a plea during the brief court hearing.

Ritchie and Patterson were demoted to the rank of private and sent home from Egypt in August last year after setting fire to a barracks, the Oregon National Guard was quoted as saying in the news reports.

St. James is not suspected in the earlier attacks because he was out of the country then, investigators said. He returned two weeks ago.

The families of both St. James and Pattersons were quoted as saying that they were surprised by the allegations.

(Compiled from news dispatches)