Airman Is Charged as Spy for Syria at Guantánamo Camp

[muchacho]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 — An Air Force translator at the United States prison camp for captured militants and suspected terrorists at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has been charged with espionage and passing military secrets to Syria, according to Pentagon officials and military court papers.

The translator, Senior Airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi, faces 32 criminal charges, including accusations that he tried to slip prison maps, cell-block information and the names of prisoners, and messages from them, to an agent of the Syrian government. If convicted of the spying charges, he could face the death penalty.

A military lawyer for Airman al-Halabi, Maj. Kim E. London, disputed the military's accusations. "We don't believe we've seen sufficient evidence to support those charges," Major London said in a telephone interview tonight.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/24/national/24DETA.html?ex=1064980800&en=566826ce80b827c7&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[Chico Man]

1. No chance for a free trial here

Absolutely, positively, no way this guy is going to get due process.

Might as well start wearing one of those orange jumpsuits.

[PartyPooper]

2. John Walker Lindh got 20 years.

This guy will be lucky to get life instead of the death penalty.

[Chico Man]

3. He "unlawfully delivered baklava!!"

"Papers filed in a military court in California say the charges range from wrongfully taking photographs of the camp sites and transferring classified information to an unclassified computer, to unlawfully delivering baklava pastries to detainees."

[Minstrel Boy]

5. OMG, you're serious!

I thought you were kidding, but the baklava delivery is right there in the article.

[Evanstondem]

10. Baklava is the slippery slope

on the road to the horrific unauthorized delivery of FRENCH fries.

[leesa]

8. Must be some of those secret rules the military makes up after the fact.

All they could get on him was delivering baklava? Now I don't like baklava because its too sweet, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it a crime. What a bunch of sadistic loons.

[mumon]

12. C'mon, it's legit to worry about baklava....

You never might be smuggled in within those sweet flaky layers of pastry with nuts in the middle...mmmm.... baklava espionage...

[T Roosevelt]

4. Is this the new distraction?

just another story to suck up the media's attention? Heard Aaron Brown say something like this is the story of the day. Huh? What about *'s failed speech at the UN?

[Jim Sagle]

6. Oh, THAT? That is so TWO HOURS ago.

:puke:

[leesa]

7. I hope whoever the new Dem president is, he or she shuts this

filthy concentration camp down immediately so these people can go home and rebuild the lives we have shattered.

After all, we need room for the Bush Crime Family and the mediawhores to reside before and after their trials for treason.

[Paschall]

9. I'm wondering what message they're trying to send grunts at Gitmo

<snip> "The charges do not represent a trial," said Eugene Fidell, president of the National Institute of Military Justice and an authority on military law. "It's quite urgent that there be no rush to judgment, particularly given the highly charged atmosphere we're in." </snip>

Highly charged atmosphere? What the hell is going on at Guantanamo?

<snip> Neither Air Force officials nor the military's official charge sheet identify the "enemy" that he is said to have aided. </snip>

I was wondering about that after the arrest of Muslim Army "chaplain," Captain James Yee. "Aiding the enemy?" I wanna see the evidence.

Sounds like morale may be waaaay low among our troops at Gitmo. Not surprising, they're being ordered to participate in war crimes.

[Newsjock]

11. Is this PNAC's pretext for invading Syria?

We know they've been chomping at the bit to lob a few missiles at Damascus. What better way than to stir up that nasty 'Muhrkin anti-Muslim sentiment, so the boys at Fox News and Clear Channel will jump on the bandwagon to back military action against the evil Syrians.

Look at the TV and newspapers -- both Yee and al-Halibi already have practically been convicted.

[DemonFighterLives]

13. Exactly

what I was thinking. Syria Ho! It all starts with the Baklava delivery man. Death Penalty would be too easy on him. Gitmo makes me sick and everyone better hope there is not a cage there with their name on it.

[noonwitch]

14. I thought there was something to the Syria connection, too

Or, there could be something with the guy whose fiancee is in Syria, still, where his fiancee has connections to the wrong people.