Jack has his reservations about the treatment of detainees at the prison . He strikes up a friendship with one of the detainees Ghazi Hammoud ( Omid Abtahi ) , a London-educated engineer . Just days before they were scheduled to return home , Jack and his unit learn that their tour of duty has been extended by six months . They are devastated but continue their day to day duties . Hammoud is subjected to multiple rough interrogations . The guards shackle him to the cell so he is forced to stand and tell Jack to let him shit himself . When Jack finally confronts his fellow soldiers , defending Hammoud 's innocence , he learns that Hammoud has confessed to building a bomb that killed 18 civilians in a coffee shop . Jack confronts Hammoud asking if he killed " innocent people " to which Hammoud replies that they were not innocent . Jack breaks down and subsequently adopts a more aggressive posture , treating the detainees less kindly than he had prior to Hammoud 's confession . When it is finally time for Jack to go home , he briefs the soldier set to replace him , much like Tanner had briefed him . His replacement takes out a camera and snaps a photo , but Jack tells him to put the camera away . When Jack notices Hammoud has fallen asleep , he drags the prisoner out of the cell and begins yelling at him . Unknown to Jack , the second soldier snaps another picture . After returning home to the US , Jack sees the news coverage of the Abu Graib scandal breaking on live TV , with the pictures snapped of him as he is shopping at a local store with his girlfriend Shooting occurred in Santa Fe , New Mexico at the Penitentiary of New Mexico , location of the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot . One scene was also shot at the now closed Baillios Electronics in Santa Fe , New Mexico
New Mexico State Penitentiary riot
New Mexico State Penitentiary riot
Boys of Abu Ghraib