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American Morning
Spy Probe at Guantanamo Bay
Aired October 01, 2003 - 07:32 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To the spy probe now at Guantanamo Bay and the newest arrest this past week. A civilian translator working at the prison camp at the base there was taken into custody at Logan Airport in Boston. He's the third person arrested on suspicion of espionage at the prison, where suspected al Qaeda and Taliban detainees are being held.
Barbara Starr broke the news yesterday.
Back to the Pentagon live this morning -- what more do we know, Barbara?
Good morning there.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Bill.
There are new developments, in fact. The U.S. Southern Command, headquartered in Miami, which oversees Guantanamo Bay, says they have now sent a team of intelligence investigators to the base on Cuba to see what exactly is going on there. A team of about a dozen military, security and counterintelligence experts will review all of the security procedures there, make recommendations on how to tighten things up.
That happening now. Of course, the first arrest in this entire affair was back in July. But Ahmed Mehalba, as you say, made his first appearance in Boston court yesterday. He is now going to be held over until October 8. He was arrested at Logan Airport when investigators found compact discs in his luggage, one of them said to contain classified information about the situation at Guantanamo Bay. He was returning to the United States from Egypt.
The third man now to be arrested in this entire situation, of course, already in confinement by the U.S. military, Army Islamic Chaplain Captain James Yee. He was arrested for allegedly carrying classified information out of Guantanamo Bay, Chaplain Yee. And in addition, there is another man under arrest. He is Senior Airman al- Halabi. He is being held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He is already facing more than 30 charges, including espionage and aiding the enemy. And sources here at the Pentagon, throughout the Bush administration, continue to say that the investigation, the probe continues. There are other military people and possibly contractors under investigation. Nobody else under arrest at this point, but certainly they are now moving to try and really find out what's going on at that base -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thank you, Barbara.
Barbara Starr 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
Aired October 1, 2003 - 07:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: To the spy probe now at Guantanamo Bay and the newest arrest this past week. A civilian translator working at the prison camp at the base there was taken into custody at Logan Airport in Boston. He's the third person arrested on suspicion of espionage at the prison, where suspected al Qaeda and Taliban detainees are being held.
Barbara Starr broke the news yesterday.
Back to the Pentagon live this morning -- what more do we know, Barbara?
Good morning there.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, Bill.
There are new developments, in fact. The U.S. Southern Command, headquartered in Miami, which oversees Guantanamo Bay, says they have now sent a team of intelligence investigators to the base on Cuba to see what exactly is going on there. A team of about a dozen military, security and counterintelligence experts will review all of the security procedures there, make recommendations on how to tighten things up.
That happening now. Of course, the first arrest in this entire affair was back in July. But Ahmed Mehalba, as you say, made his first appearance in Boston court yesterday. He is now going to be held over until October 8. He was arrested at Logan Airport when investigators found compact discs in his luggage, one of them said to contain classified information about the situation at Guantanamo Bay. He was returning to the United States from Egypt.
The third man now to be arrested in this entire situation, of course, already in confinement by the U.S. military, Army Islamic Chaplain Captain James Yee. He was arrested for allegedly carrying classified information out of Guantanamo Bay, Chaplain Yee. And in addition, there is another man under arrest. He is Senior Airman al- Halabi. He is being held at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He is already facing more than 30 charges, including espionage and aiding the enemy. And sources here at the Pentagon, throughout the Bush administration, continue to say that the investigation, the probe continues. There are other military people and possibly contractors under investigation. Nobody else under arrest at this point, but certainly they are now moving to try and really find out what's going on at that base -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thank you, Barbara.
Barbara Starr 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
