Gitmo Spy Probe Widens
A probe of possible security violations at the U.S. prison camp for terrorism suspects is expanding after the arrests of two members of the military, with a third military member under investigation, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
The cases have raised concern in the Defense Department about security at the base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"We don't presume that the two we know about is all there is to it," Pace told reporters Wednesday morning.
An Air Force translator and a Muslim Army chaplain at the prison camp have been arrested in the security probe.
Senior Airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi is behind bars at a California Air Force base, facing 32 criminal charges. The most serious — espionage and aiding the enemy — could carry the death penalty.
Pentagon officials said a broader investigation into possible security breaches at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba was continuing. One suspect, a member of the Navy, is under investigation but has not been arrested, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
Military authorities accuse al-Halabi, 24, of sending e-mail with information about the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay "to unauthorized person or persons whom he, the accused, knew to be the enemy." The Air Force documents detailing the charges do not say who "the enemy" is.
Al-Halabi also is accused of planning to give classified information about the prisoners as well as more than 180 written messages from detainees to a person who would then go to Syria.
A military attorney representing al-Halabi, Air Force Maj. James E. Key III, denied the charges. Al-Halabi had been quickly promoted in the Air Force ranks and was named Airman of the Year at his base, Key said Wednesday.
"Airman al-Halabi's father testified at the hearing ... how much Airman al-Halabi loved the United States, how important being in America was to him," Key said in a telephone interview. "They (his relatives) are shocked at the allegations he may have done something contrary to the United States' interests."
In Damascus Wednesday, the Syrians denied that they had any links to the Air Force translator. Information Minister Ahmed al-Hassan said the accusations were baseless.
Al-Hassan spoke to reporters at an introductory meeting as he has just taken over the information portfolio in this month's Cabinet reshuffle. He did not know of al-Halabi's arrest in the United States, but after the journalists told him about, he said: "How could Syria have a spy in Guantanamo?"
"Any allegations that al-Halabi has any kind of connection with Syria are baseless," al-Hassan said.
The Pentagon's disclosure Tuesday of the case against al-Halabi came three days after officials said a Muslim chaplain at the base had been arrested. The chaplain, Army Capt. Yousef Yee, has been held without charge since his Sept. 10 arrest.
The two men knew each other, an Air Force spokesman said, but officials said they didn't know whether there had been any conspiracy to breach security at the prison camp.
Before his arrest on returning to the states two weeks ago, Yee was interviewed by 60 Minutes II Correspondent Vicki Mabrey for a report on Guantanamo prisoners that will air 8 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday.
The charges against al-Halabi include an allegation that he failed to report unauthorized contacts between prisoners and other military personnel. The others were not identified.
Al-Halabi worked for nine months as an Arabic language translator at Guantanamo Bay, a job that ended shortly before his July 23 arrest as he arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., on a flight from the prison camp.
When he was arrested, al-Halabi was carrying two handwritten notes from detainees that al-Halabi intended to turn over to someone traveling to Syria, the charging documents say. He also was carrying his personal laptop computer containing classified information about detainees and 180 messages from detainees he intended to send to Syria or Qatar, it was alleged.
The documents also allege that al-Halabi:
Key said al-Halabi is a U.S. citizen but said he did not know when al-Halabi was naturalized.
Secret documents al-Halabi is accused of trying to pass to Syria include details of flights to and from the Guantanamo Bay base; names, serial numbers and cell numbers of prisoners; a map of the base; and other military documents.
The very seriousness of the charges against al-Halabi could save him: if he was a spy, he might have information that he can trade for his life.
"Although the death penalty is a possibility in this case, there also is a decent chance that there may be a plea bargain," said CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen. "If al-Halabi actually has done even a small part of what the government says he has done, and if he can provide important information to military authorities that might lead them to terrorists in Syria or elsewhere, the government almost certainly would listen to a deal."
Al-Halabi is charged with eight counts related to espionage, three counts of aiding the enemy, 11 counts of disobeying a lawful order, nine counts of making a false official statement and one count of bank fraud. The bank fraud charge involves allegations al-Halabi used false information in credit card applications for several prominent banks.
It was unclear whether those allegations were related to the espionage charges; the charging documents said al-Halabi made the credit applications before he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay.
About 660 suspected al Qaeda or Taliban members are imprisoned at the U.S. Navy base. American officials are interrogating them for information on the terrorist network.
The military has classified many details about the prison camp and the detainees and has not identified any of the men being held there.