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Muslim chaplain charged with disobeying ordersFormer Guantanamo minister accused in espionage probe
From Barbara Starr
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Army Capt. James Yee, former Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, was charged Friday with two counts of failing to obey a lawful general order. Yee was taken into custody September 10 after he was found with alleged classified material upon his return to the United States from the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has been held on suspicion of espionage and of aiding the enemy, but the two counts of failing to obey orders are the only formal charges yet filed. Military officials have said Yee took classified material to his home and wrongfully transported classified material without the proper security containers or covers. "The Army continues to investigate Yee's conduct, and if warranted, additional charges could be forthcoming," read a statement from U.S. Southern Command. Military officials had previously told CNN that initial charges could be minor. Charges of espionage, a more serious crime, would likely take a considerable time to assemble. Filing the less-severe charges indicates that the military is continuing to work on the case and that Yee is not languishing in the naval brig at Charleston, South Carolina, where he is being held, without being charged, officials said. Yee served as chaplain at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, where he ministered to suspected Taliban and al Qaeda detainees held there. He is a Chinese-American who converted to Islam after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy. The charges against him have been forwarded to the commander of Guantanamo Bay, who "has the authority to dispose of the case as he deems appropriate," the military statement said. Yee's arrest is part of a broader investigation into possible espionage at the base. Ahmed Mehalba, a civilian translator who worked at Guantanamo, was arrested at Boston's Logan International Airport last month after U.S. Immigration officials found him carrying CD-ROMs and paper documents that are said to be related to the Guantanamo detainees. Air Force Senior Airman Ahmad al Halabi -- who also worked at the base -- was arrested and charged with espionage and aiding the enemy. An American of Syrian descent, Halabi is accused of e-mailing information that included details about the base's flight schedule to people in Syria, officials said. Halabi worked nine months at Guantanamo Bay as a translator. He was taken into custody July 23, but authorities did not announce his arrest until late last month. He is being held at a prison facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The investigation into possible espionage at the remote facility is still in progress, and a senior defense official has told CNN that more arrests may come.
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