|
Another Gitmo Translator Busted
A physician working as a translator at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was arrested Tuesday, authorities said, in the latest of a series of apprehensions that have raised questions about security at the center for terror suspects. Dennis Murphy, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the arrest came at Bostonâs Logan International Airport. A senior law enforcement official, discussing the case on grounds of anonymity, identified the suspect as Ahmed Mehalba. This source said that Mehalba had stopped in Boston Monday after arriving on a flight from Cairo. Wonder if he was in Egypt on "vacation", or he just changed planes there. Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement noticed documents that appeared to have come from the prison camp and that they suspected of being classified. The FBI was called in to interview Mehalba, who denied the documents were his, the official said. Iâm thinking that whoever is in charge of INFOSEC at Gitmo will soon be picking up trash at McMurdo Station. After the interview, the FBI arrested Mehalba on charges of making false statements. He was being held in Boston and further charges are possible, said the official, who declined to describe the nature of the documents in Mehalbaâs possession. "I can say no more." Army Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, a spokeswoman for the base, said last Friday that military authorities strengthened security at Guantanamo Bay in the wake of the arrests. She said that officials were making certain that restrictions on handling documents, making phone calls and sending e-mails are being followed. Something about a horse and a barn come to mind. Posted by: Steve and Frank G 2003-09-30 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=19262 |