Military to Start Court Martial of Air Force Translator

(EXCERPT) Tue January 13, 2004 04:49 AM ET, by Adam Tanner

FAIRFIELD, Calif. (Reuters) - The U.S. military is expected to start
court-martial proceedings on Tuesday against an Air Force translator
accused of espionage at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where terrorism suspects
and Afghan war prisoners are held.

Senior Airman Ahmad al Halabi, who is of Syrian descent, worked nine
months as a translator at Guantanamo, the base where the United States
maintains a prison camp for suspected al Qaeda and Taliban members.

The Detroit, Michigan, native was arrested in Florida on July 23 and
accused of carrying jail maps, letters and other sensitive documents
from Guantanamo. In December the U.S. military dropped three of the
charges against Halabi, but he still faces six counts, including
espionage.

Military Judge Col. Barbara Brand will arraign Halabi at Travis Air
Force Base, about halfway between San Francisco and the state capital
Sacramento, and read out the charges against him. He is not expected
to enter a plea in the case on Tuesday, the Air Force said in a
statement. The trial is scheduled to begin on April 27.

The charges include espionage, failure to obey an order, retaining
documents without authority, making false official statements and
executing a fraudulent credit application scheme.

Halabi, 23, w...

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Associate Librarian
The American War Library
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