Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

Army Muslim Chaplain Arrested For Suspected Espionage

Aired September 20, 2003 - 18:21   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: A U.S. Army captain who is a Muslim chaplain was arrested 10 days ago on suspicion of espionage and possibly treason. Chris Plante, from the Pentagon, joins us now with more details.
Chris, no formal charges have been filed against Captain James Yee. So what does the Army say they actually have on him?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, officially they're not saying anything at all, but sources are telling us that they did find documents in his luggage or his briefcase as he was leaving Guantanamo Bay 10 days ago. The documents included diagrams of the facilities at Guantanamo Bay, as well as some logs or notes on the prisoners there on the interrogations that have taken place and on the interrogators. There's also some indication that he may have had contact with radical Muslims or radical Muslim groups inside the United States prior to his arrest.

LIN: Since Captain Yee had been assigned to work at Guantanamo Bay with members of al Qaeda and other so-called enemy combatants there, what sort of information could he compromise, and who would he be in a position to give it to?

PLANTE: Well, that, too, is not entirely clear at this point. It is, according to sources, at least, clear that he was collecting information. He had information and documentation with him that was inappropriate for him to have. Also, that, combined with the fact that he may have had contact with some radical Islamic groups inside the United States prior to this arrest, I suppose the working theory is he was willing to or interested in turning this information over to some of those actors inside the U.S.

LIN: But, Chris, I'm wondering, what led investigators to actually suspect that Captain Yee may have actually done something illegal?

PLANTE: Well, according to the people that I spoke to today -- and, again, none of this is really coming out through official channels -- the first indications came when an ongoing investigation into radical Islamic groups inside the United States turned up Captain Yee's name. And that was the first tip-off that peaked their interest. They then started looking into the captain's activities, and that's what led to his arrest 10 days ago, whereupon they found the documents that seem to add to the case against him.

LIN: I'm wondering what you know about him personally. Was Captain Yee always a Muslim chaplain in the Army? Is this a career field that they teach at West Point?

PLANTE: Well, they certainly teach about the culture of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) studies and various other cultures around the world. But this is not a specific career field, certainly.

When he left West Point, graduating in 1990, he became an air defense artillery officer. And he remained that until he left the Army in the mid '90s. He then went on to convert to Islam. He was raised as a Christian in New Jersey, a Chinese American. He moved to Damascus, Syria for four years, where he studied Arabic and Islam, then returned to the United States, joined the Army again, this time as a Muslim cleric, and went on to this career field his second time around in the Army.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Chris Plante, working the story from 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






Aired September 20, 2003 - 18:21   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: A U.S. Army captain who is a Muslim chaplain was arrested 10 days ago on suspicion of espionage and possibly treason. Chris Plante, from the Pentagon, joins us now with more details.
Chris, no formal charges have been filed against Captain James Yee. So what does the Army say they actually have on him?

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, officially they're not saying anything at all, but sources are telling us that they did find documents in his luggage or his briefcase as he was leaving Guantanamo Bay 10 days ago. The documents included diagrams of the facilities at Guantanamo Bay, as well as some logs or notes on the prisoners there on the interrogations that have taken place and on the interrogators. There's also some indication that he may have had contact with radical Muslims or radical Muslim groups inside the United States prior to his arrest.

LIN: Since Captain Yee had been assigned to work at Guantanamo Bay with members of al Qaeda and other so-called enemy combatants there, what sort of information could he compromise, and who would he be in a position to give it to?

PLANTE: Well, that, too, is not entirely clear at this point. It is, according to sources, at least, clear that he was collecting information. He had information and documentation with him that was inappropriate for him to have. Also, that, combined with the fact that he may have had contact with some radical Islamic groups inside the United States prior to this arrest, I suppose the working theory is he was willing to or interested in turning this information over to some of those actors inside the U.S.

LIN: But, Chris, I'm wondering, what led investigators to actually suspect that Captain Yee may have actually done something illegal?

PLANTE: Well, according to the people that I spoke to today -- and, again, none of this is really coming out through official channels -- the first indications came when an ongoing investigation into radical Islamic groups inside the United States turned up Captain Yee's name. And that was the first tip-off that peaked their interest. They then started looking into the captain's activities, and that's what led to his arrest 10 days ago, whereupon they found the documents that seem to add to the case against him.

LIN: I'm wondering what you know about him personally. Was Captain Yee always a Muslim chaplain in the Army? Is this a career field that they teach at West Point?

PLANTE: Well, they certainly teach about the culture of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) studies and various other cultures around the world. But this is not a specific career field, certainly.

When he left West Point, graduating in 1990, he became an air defense artillery officer. And he remained that until he left the Army in the mid '90s. He then went on to convert to Islam. He was raised as a Christian in New Jersey, a Chinese American. He moved to Damascus, Syria for four years, where he studied Arabic and Islam, then returned to the United States, joined the Army again, this time as a Muslim cleric, and went on to this career field his second time around in the Army.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Chris Plante, working the story from 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