Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

U.S. Airman Charged With Espionage

Aired September 23, 2003 - 15:11   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.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Some breaking news we want to share with you. And for that, we go to the Pentagon. It has to do with someone in the Air Force being charged in connection with activities at Guantanamo Bay.
Barbara Starr is our correspondent -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Judy.

Well, as we reported earlier today, a U.S. Air Force airman was taken into custody about a month ago by the Air Force at Guantanamo Bay because he had unclassified, unauthorized, classified information on his laptop computer. We now have a lot more detail on this breaking story. And it does appear that there is another potential case of espionage in the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay.

We can now tell you the man is senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi. He's being held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He worked for many months as a translator at Guantanamo Bay, working with the detainees and the interrogators. He has been charged with more than 30 charges, including aiding the enemy, espionage, bank fraud and several charges of failing to obey lawful orders. This investigation, we're told, is continuing. More arrests are possible.

It is not clear whether this latest case with the airman is connected, of course, to the arrest of the Army chaplain that came to light within the last few days -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All right. Some strange twists and turns here.

All right, Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

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 23, 2003 - 15:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Some breaking news we want to share with you. And for that, we go to the Pentagon. It has to do with someone in the Air Force being charged in connection with activities at Guantanamo Bay.
Barbara Starr is our correspondent -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Judy.

Well, as we reported earlier today, a U.S. Air Force airman was taken into custody about a month ago by the Air Force at Guantanamo Bay because he had unclassified, unauthorized, classified information on his laptop computer. We now have a lot more detail on this breaking story. And it does appear that there is another potential case of espionage in the U.S. military at Guantanamo Bay.

We can now tell you the man is senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi. He's being held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He worked for many months as a translator at Guantanamo Bay, working with the detainees and the interrogators. He has been charged with more than 30 charges, including aiding the enemy, espionage, bank fraud and several charges of failing to obey lawful orders. This investigation, we're told, is continuing. More arrests are possible.

It is not clear whether this latest case with the airman is connected, of course, to the arrest of the Army chaplain that came to light within the last few days -- Judy.

WOODRUFF: All right. Some strange twists and turns here.

All right, Barbara Starr, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com