A Spanish judge has issued an arrest warrant for three American soldiers accused of killing a Spanish cameraman in Iraq.

Judge Santiago Pedraz at Spain's National Court ordered the arrests of Lt. Col. Philip de Camp, Capt. Phillip Wolford, and Sgt. Thomas Gibson.

Jose Couso, a cameraman with Spanish TV channel Tele 5, died April 8, 2003, when a shell fired from an American tank hit the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. The hotel was known to house many journalists posted to the Iraqi capital in the opening days of the war.

The case was originally archived in 2006, but Couso's family appealed the decision and said they were pleased with the latest development.

"Now we have to hope that the United States government collaborates with the Spanish justice system in the search and capture in order to sit these murderers in the court," said Jose's brother David.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Madrid declined to immediately comment.