Yet Another Muslim-"American" Arrested For Spying On US Military

[Real American]

This is the third Muslim "American" to be arrested for spying in the last week, with more to come. Once again, the United States is importing our own destruction. Muslims are NOT Americans, and  never will be Americans. They all hate us and want to kill us. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!! I don't care how many commercials the government puts out portraying Muslims as patriotic, it ain't true!


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,98749,00.html

Another Guantanamo Translator Arrested
 
 
Tuesday , September 30, 2003
 
WASHINGTON — The government on Tuesday announced the arrest of a second translator at the U.S. prison for terror suspects at Guantanamo (search) Bay, Cuba, bringing total detentions there to three and raising new concern about the extent of possible espionage.

   
 
The latest man arrested was identified as Egyptian-American Ahmed Fathy Mehalba (search), 31. He is a civilian who formerly served in the Army and twice started but failed to complete a military intelligence course to become an interrogator, two defense officials said on condition of anonymity.

Mehalba was medically discharged from the Army in May 2001 and later hired by a private defense contractor to be a translator at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, they said.

Officials said they had no further information on why he didn't complete the courses, nor what the medical discharge was for.

The arrest was the third involving someone who worked closely with the largely Muslim, non-English-speaking population of about 660 suspected terrorist fighters being held at Guantanamo. The two other men, another translator and a Muslim chaplain, are both in the military.

Officials said they had been watching Mehalba and that still others were being investigated. A new assessment team traveled to the prison this week to study procedures and make recommendations on security, defense officials said.

The arrest of a second translator raised new concern about how the military had checked the dozens of translators needed to help with interrogations of Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects whose native languages include Arabic, Pashto, Dari and Uighur.

At a brief hearing Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Boston, Mehalba entered no plea to a charge of making false statements and was detained pending another hearing scheduled for Oct. 8. He could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted of the charge.

Mehalba, wearing jeans and an orange golf shirt, said nothing during the hearing, except to tell the judge that he could not afford his own attorney.

Michael Andrews, the attorney who represented Mehalba at Tuesday's hearing, said, "He intends to vigorously defend himself against these charges."

Mehalba was arrested Monday at Boston's Logan International Airport after authorities found classified information in his possession, officials said Tuesday. Dennis Murphy, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security (search), said Mehalba is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Egypt who had flown Monday to Boston from Cairo, with a stop in Milan, Italy.

He was carrying 132 compact discs, which he said contained only music and videos, according to a government affidavit filed in court. But agents checked his bags and found at least one that appeared to contain unspecified classified information, some of it marked "SECRET," the affidavit said.

Mehalba denied knowing how the information got on the disc, saying he bought the discs in Guantanamo "as blanks," the affidavit said.

Defense Department officials said Mehalba worked at Guantanamo for San Diego-based defense contractor Titan Corp (search). Titan spokesman Wil Williams confirmed Mehalba worked for the firm but said he was on leave when the arrest occurred.

Some candidates for the translator jobs were found through the Internet, newspaper ads, language associations and word-of-mouth, Williams had said in June 2002. They underwent health checks and extensive criminal record checks, and many underwent additional national security clearances and polygraph exams, he said.

Linguists and other experts on Tuesday stressed the importance of full investigations.

"They've been backed up for years on security clearances ... and it was made worse after Sept. 11, because there was this fast rush to get more analysts and more people who had backgrounds that might be useful," said Dan Smith, a retired Army colonel who specialized in intelligence during his 26 years in service.

Last week, authorities said an Air Force enlisted man, Ahmad I. al-Halabi, had been charged with espionage in July, accused of sending classified information about the Guantanamo facility to an unspecified "enemy." He also was accused of planning to give other secrets about the prison to someone traveling to Syria.

A military investigator said last week that al-Halabi had been under investigation before he arrived at the base. He has said that he is innocent.

The other man in custody is Army Capt. Yousef Yee (search), a Muslim chaplain who is being detained without charge at the Navy brig in Charleston, S.C. Al-Halabi is behind bars at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Officials at Guantanamo said last week that they had strengthened security at the prison in the wake of the arrests, including making certain that restrictions on handling documents, making phone calls and sending e-mails were being followed.

The U.S. Southern Command Tuesday put out a statement saying the new assessment team would work with officials at the prison to review security procedures and measures and "will immediately recommend reinforcement or correction of established procedures."

Officials have not commented on whether they think any of those detained or being investigated may have compromised interrogations at the facility. Dozens of translators have been employed at the prison, where the main work has been to question suspects for any information they may have on terrorist networks and especially to collect information that might prevent future attacks.
 

[UnstoppableForce]

There'll be more to come  

[KING VerbalAssaulta]

damn muslims

[mauzip]

kill him

[Eidolon_Ravi]

 Okay I get it now...This is the third Muslim "American" to be arrested for spying in the last week.. rite??

 But u didn't tell me how many Christian *americans* they've arrested till now for spying on teh military?

[Woodrow]

 Okay I get it now...This is the third Muslim "American" to be arrested for spying in the last week.. rite??

 But u didn't tell me how many Christian *americans* they've arrested till now for spying on teh military?

YAH!

You get Teh Prize!

[ARYC]

"This is the third Muslim "American" to be arrested for spying in the last week, with more to come. Once again, the United States is importing our own destruction. Muslims are NOT Americans, and  never will be Americans. They all hate us and want to kill us. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!! I don't care how many commercials the government puts out portraying Muslims as patriotic, it ain't true!"


wow reading that i was expecting u to end it with "hail hitler"

[Eidolon_Ravi]

"This is the third Muslim "American" to be arrested for spying in the last week, with more to come. Once again, the United States is importing our own destruction. Muslims are NOT Americans, and  never will be Americans. They all hate us and want to kill us. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!! I don't care how many commercials the government puts out portraying Muslims as patriotic, it ain't true!"

wow reading that i was expecting u to end it with "hail hitler"

 Fucking strite BS.. goddam ignorance..

 IF nation states start building up their values on the basis of religion.. we may as well go back te the Medieveal period and Rot...

[Woodrow]

IF nation states start building up their values on the basis of religion.. we may as well go back te the Medieveal period and Rot...

The middle east?

[UnstoppableForce]

Yes, the Middle East. Is that any of our business? Oh yes, that's exactly what it is: BUSINESS; oil to be specific.

[ITW [the irish boy]]

One simple question CWalker : Is your problem with muslim terrorists, or just muslims?

Because while I can see you have a problem with those trying to launch attacks on your country (ie the subject of this debate) I cant see why you would have a problem with the Muslim people as a whole. It seems almost facist that you believe Muslims will never be americans, just like jews will never be germans. Are you implying that america should be christian only? Because that really is bordering on nazism.

Now just to point out something you said. You say "they all hate us and want to kill us". While this is obviously untrue, who could blame them if they did,  considering your prior statement "Muslims are not americans, and never will be americans". That is the kind of statement that would lead muslim americans to feel more aligned with the claims of binladen, that "america is the enemy of muslims" than with the inclusive society that america claims to provide. How can you expect them to be proud of america, and be proud citizens of america, who would never contemplate treason, if you and others like you simply say "you will never be american". I think it is important that the government is promoting inclusiveness because the kind of ignorance you show towards the issue is the kind of stereotypical image the rest of the world is forming of america, and its not fair on the decent people there.

By the way, I realise cwalker often talks tongue in cheek but i thought i should reply to this one.

[Real American]

Now just to point out something you said. You say "they all hate us and want to kill us". While this is obviously untrue, who could blame them if they did,  considering your prior statement "Muslims are not americans, and never will be americans". That is the kind of statement that would lead muslim americans to feel more aligned with the claims of binladen, that "america is the enemy of muslims" than with the inclusive society that america claims to provide. How can you expect them to be proud of america, and be proud citizens of america, who would never contemplate treason, if you and others like you simply say "you will never be american".

Listen man, no other country in the world is as open and tolerant towards immigrants than Americans. Anyone can come to this country and become American and be accepted. So don't blame the actions of these Muslims on us. It is actually the other way around: the hatred that Muslims show toward our country and our culture is making people like me turn on them. How else do you expect us to feel when Muslims living here slaughter thousands of innocent people, or when hundreds and hundreds of Islamic charities get shut down for finanacing terrorism, or when Muslims serving in the military keep getting arrested for being killing other soliders or being spies, or how average everyday Muslims refuse to even come out and condemn terrorism? It is outrageous.

[UnstoppableForce]

I think I found the reason for CWalker's feelings; he was raped by a big Turkish guy

[ITW [the irish boy]]

CWalker, what you just said has confused me. Your very words were "we are importing our own destruction" and now you say it's not our fault in your next post. You need to make up your mind. Then you say "anyone can come to america and be accepted" but you said in your last post "muslims will never be americans". The point I was trying to make is by painting all muslims with the same brush you are turning more of them against you. If you distinguised between muslim terrorist and muslims, i think youd find very few normal muslims would be sympathetic to terrorists.

Take the irish example. Very few irish people support the IRA.  And very few hate the english, though at the height of the troubles, because of the bombs in england the english believed all the irish were murderers and treated them as such. This caused normal irish people in england to feel excluded and discriminated against, and hence it helped fuel the sypathies towards the IRA where none were there before.

I understand how you must hate the terrorists, but you must distinguish between the terrorists and the normal people. For instance if a polish organisation started bombing america for whatever reason, do you think anyone has the right to call you unamerican just because someone of the same descent as you launched war on america. I reckon you would still be as american as you are now. And muslim americans are JUST as american as you are.

[UnstoppableForce]

He's Polish? LMFAO
He acts like his ancestors came here on the Mayflower