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CNN Live Sunday
Questions Surround Army Chaplain After Prison Plans Are Found In His Luggage
Aired September 21, 2003 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: He was a spy for al Qaeda or a simple Muslim army chaplain? That is what investigators are trying to determine about U.S. Army Captain James Yee, suspected of espionage and possibly treason. Our Chris Plante is covering the story from the Pentagon. Chris, what have you learned more since yesterday?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, a lot of questions still hang. Captain Yee is in U.S. custody. He's being held in a Navy brig in South Carolina, and they're looking into whether he may have been involved in espionage or possibly treason.
A lot of questions still unanswered. The Pentagon is not being very forthcoming with additional information at this point. But he was arrested September 10 at the naval air station at Jacksonville, Florida as he was returning from Guantanamo Bay, where he worked counseling Islamic prisoners there and also working with U.S. troops, advising them on the ways of Islam.
Shortly after September 11 attacks two years ago Captain Yee was interviewed by a local station at Ft. Lewis, Washington where he seemed to deliver a message of peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CPT. CHARLES LEE, ARMY CHAPLAIN: One of the things it says in the Koran is that certainly God will test us with fear, hunger, the loss of wealth, the loss of lives, the loss of fruits and that the way to get through these things is to patiently persevere and that by doing that God rewards us with blessings and mercy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLANTE: Now, Captain Yee is a 1990 graduate of West Point, and he left the military in the early 1990s, converted to Islam. He moved to Damascus, Syria to study Islam and also Arabic. He returned to the United States after four years there and rejoined the army, this time as a Muslim cleric and as a chaplain for the military. There are only a dozen or so Muslim clerics, chaplains in the U.S. military. Still a lot of questions hanging and we're waiting to get answers -- Carol.
LIN: All right. We'll wait with you. Thank you very much. Chris Plante at the Pentagon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Found In His Luggage>
Aired September 21, 2003 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: He was a spy for al Qaeda or a simple Muslim army chaplain? That is what investigators are trying to determine about U.S. Army Captain James Yee, suspected of espionage and possibly treason. Our Chris Plante is covering the story from the Pentagon. Chris, what have you learned more since yesterday?
CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, a lot of questions still hang. Captain Yee is in U.S. custody. He's being held in a Navy brig in South Carolina, and they're looking into whether he may have been involved in espionage or possibly treason.
A lot of questions still unanswered. The Pentagon is not being very forthcoming with additional information at this point. But he was arrested September 10 at the naval air station at Jacksonville, Florida as he was returning from Guantanamo Bay, where he worked counseling Islamic prisoners there and also working with U.S. troops, advising them on the ways of Islam.
Shortly after September 11 attacks two years ago Captain Yee was interviewed by a local station at Ft. Lewis, Washington where he seemed to deliver a message of peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CPT. CHARLES LEE, ARMY CHAPLAIN: One of the things it says in the Koran is that certainly God will test us with fear, hunger, the loss of wealth, the loss of lives, the loss of fruits and that the way to get through these things is to patiently persevere and that by doing that God rewards us with blessings and mercy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLANTE: Now, Captain Yee is a 1990 graduate of West Point, and he left the military in the early 1990s, converted to Islam. He moved to Damascus, Syria to study Islam and also Arabic. He returned to the United States after four years there and rejoined the army, this time as a Muslim cleric and as a chaplain for the military. There are only a dozen or so Muslim clerics, chaplains in the U.S. military. Still a lot of questions hanging and we're waiting to get answers -- Carol.
LIN: All right. We'll wait with you. Thank you very much. Chris Plante at the Pentagon.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Found In His Luggage>
