Muslim Army Chaplain Charged With Disobeying Orders

[thedrifter]

Muslim Army Chaplain Charged With Disobeying Orders

Friday, October 10, 2003

WASHINGTON ? A former Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay (search) prison for terrorism suspects has been charged with disobeying orders for improperly handling classified information, the military announced Friday.

Army Capt. James Yee, who also has used the name Yousef Yee, was charged with two counts of failing to obey a lawful order, U.S. Southern Command announced. He is charged with taking classified information home and wrongly transporting classified information.

The charges, as outlined on an Army document released by Southern Command (search), say Yee was carrying classified information when he was arrested last month and had taken secret materials to a housing unit while serving as chaplain at the base from November 2002 until last month.

Yee is one of three former workers at the high-security military base to be arrested in a probe of alleged espionage there. Yee is not charged with espionage.

Conviction of disobeying orders carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a bad conduct discharge.

Authorities arrested Yee Sept. 10 as he arrived at a Jacksonville, Fla., naval base on a flight from the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba.

He is being held at the Navy brig in Charleston, S.C.

Telephone messages left at the office of Yee's defense lawyers were not returned. Friday was a training holiday for the Army so Yee's military defense lawyers were unavailable for comment, Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Cmdr. Barbara Burfeind said.

"The Army continues to investigate Yee's conduct, and if warranted, additional charges could be forthcoming," Southern Command said in a statement.

Army Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the commander of the Guantanamo Bay prison, will decide on the next step. Miller's options include dismissing the charges or convening a special court-martial, which, regardless of the charges, could only impose a penalty of up to a year in prison and a bad conduct discharge. Miller also could send the case to an Article 32 hearing, a kind of mini-trial in which prosecutors present evidence for commanders to decide whether to send the case to a general court-martial, which could impose a sentence of up to two years and a bad conduct discharge.

A team of military investigators arrived at Guantanamo Bay Thursday to probe security at the facility. Miller has ordered a security crackdown in the wake of the three arrests, and military officials have said others who have not been arrested are under suspicion.

The most serious charges are against Senior Airman Ahmed I. al-Halabi, an Air Force supply clerk who worked as an Arabic translator at the prison for about nine months. Military prosecutors accuse al-Halabi of gathering classified information and messages from prisoners with plans to send that information to Syria and an unidentified enemy. The charges, espionage and aiding the enemy, could carry the death penalty.

Al-Halabi's lawyers say their client is innocent.

Also charged is a former civilian Arabic interpreter at the base, Ahmad F. Mehalba. Agents arrested Mehalba last month as he arrived in Boston after visiting his native Egypt. Mehalba is accused of lying to investigators by denying that computer discs he carried with him had classified information from Guantanamo Bay on them.

About 660 suspected members of the Al Qaeda (search) terrorist network or Afghanistan's former Taliban government are being held at the Guantanamo Bay base. Military officials are investigating whether the three arrested men were working together.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,99717,00.html


Sempers,

Roger

[Jerry D]

Al-Halabi and Capt Yee have put many wives and kids of Soldiers in Gitmo in mortal danger and all they probably will get is 2 years in Jail ?? what a crock