Airman Charged with Espionage at Guantanamo Bay Prison

[Tony]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A53025-2003Sep23?language=printer ..full article




An Air Force translator at the U.S. prison camp for suspected terrorists has been charged with espionage and aiding the enemy -- counts that could carry the death penalty, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

Senior Airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi is being held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, facing 32 criminal charges, spokesman Maj. Michael Shavers said.



I hope they expedite his journey to see his 72 virgins.

[American]

Originally posted by Tony

I hope they expedite his journey to see his 72 virgins.


The guy who threw a grenade in a command tent, killed a division captain and wounded 15 soldiers, is still breathing.

There's something wrong with this country when it won't kill the people who are killing us. And I know the group of people who not only tolerate such a reality, but promote it.

[Ziggurat]

Originally posted by American

There's something wrong with this country when it won't kill the people who are killing us. And I know the group of people who not only tolerate such a reality, but promote it.

We do not necessarily need to kill those who would kill us. We need to be willing to (ie, we can't be afraid to take violent action to defend ourselves), and in some cases it's pretty much the only option (the Taliban and Al Quaeda in Afghanistan, for example), but if you have such a person in prison, actually killing them rather than keeping them in prison doesn't really get you anywhere. The severity of a punishment isn't nearly as important a factor in disuading someone as the surity of the punishment (how likely they are to be caught and brought to justice). As a practical matter, executions don't really achieve much at all, regardless of how justified they are.

[bignickel]

Originally posted by Tony
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A53025-2003Sep23?language=printer ..full article

I hope they expedite his journey to see his 72 virgins.

Huh. Is that what you got from that article? And the arrest of the army chaplain, too?

What I got was:
If you're a Muslim or of Arab descent
and you're in the U.S. Army
and you get asked to work with Arab suspects
and you do the job the Army asked you to do

Don't be surprised if you're charged with espionage!

Yikes.

[Sundog]

(sigh) (yawn)
RandFan, please come home. All is forgiven.

[Tony]

Originally posted by bignickel


Huh. Is that what you got from that article? And the arrest of the army chaplain, too?

What I got was:
If you're a Muslim or of Arab descent
and you're in the U.S. Army
and you get asked to work with Arab suspects
and you do the job the Army asked you to do

Don't be surprised if you're charged with espionage!

Yikes.


I think the crack is distorting your view.:p

[hammegk]

Originally posted by Ziggurat

....As a practical matter, executions don't really achieve much at all, regardless of how justified they are.
Actually a 0.00% recidivism rate is pretty good, huh?

[bignickel]

Originally posted by Tony

I think the crack is distorting your view.:p

Been talking to American again, eh? Can't get anything past you guys.

[WildCat]

Originally posted by bignickel


Huh. Is that what you got from that article? And the arrest of the army chaplain, too?

What I got was:
If you're a Muslim or of Arab descent
and you're in the U.S. Army
and you get asked to work with Arab suspects
and you do the job the Army asked you to do

Don't be surprised if you're charged with espionage!

Yikes.
I don't think the Army told him to get on a plane to Syria w/ a laptop full of classified documents.

But here's the kicker to this story: (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/09/23/airforce.detainee/index.html)
Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York told reporters Tuesday that the group the military relies on to train Muslim chaplains such as Yee is under investigation by the Justice Department for allegations of supporting terrorism.
:eek:

[arcticpenguin]

Interesting; a couple weeks ago we saw this headline: FBI says it can't infiltrate al-Qaeda (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20030911/ts_usatoday/11842147). If the current suspects urn out to be guilty it would apepar al-Qaeda had no trouble infiltrating the U.S. armed forces.

[bignickel]

Originally posted by WildCat

I don't think the Army told him to get on a plane to Syria w/ a laptop full of classified documents.


Hmm, I've searched the text of the article for the word 'laptop'; I'm not finding it.

Perhaps it's the crack distorting my view, yet again.

By the by - considering that he's a translator there, and that anything that a prisoner says to him will automatically be considered classified, any translation he had with him would automatically be considered 'classified' materials.

[arcticpenguin]

Originally posted by bignickel


Hmm, I've searched the text of the article for the word 'laptop'; I'm not finding it.

Try any other story on the topic. Here's the article at CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/09/23/airforce.detainee/index.html)


Officials said Senior Airman Ahmad al Halabi was arrested July 23 because he allegedly had classified information about suspected al Qaeda detainees and facilities at the Guantanamo Bay base on his laptop computer.


And lay off the crack.

[arcticpenguin]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030924/us_nm/security_guantanamo_dc_7


NBC News said a 10-page indictment alleged al Halabi was carrying a laptop computer with 180 electronic notes, and two handwritten notes from detainees to be delivered to Syria and details about the U.S. military installation at Guantanamo.

[Chaos]

Originally posted by hammegk

Actually a 0.00% recidivism rate is pretty good, huh?

Well, comparing it with a 0.00% rate of those wrongly convicted being set free after execution, I think I prefer sentencing to life in prison.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by American



The guy who threw a grenade in a command tent, killed a division captain and wounded 15 soldiers, is still breathing.

There's something wrong with this country when it won't kill the people who are killing us. And I know the group of people who not only tolerate such a reality, but promote it.

That would be me!