- A United States army Islamic chaplain, or imam, who counselled
suspected Islamic terrorists at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, has
been arrested.
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- Charges have not been filed against Capt Yousef Yee,
military spokesmen insist. But news reports suggest he is accused by the
FBI of taking drawings of the Cuba detention centre and lists of detainees.
He is suspected of collaborating with those held and could face charges
under military codes relating to espionage, it is suggested.
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- Capt Yee was being watched by investigators probing "whether
he had counselled any of the prisoners in ways that discouraged them from
assisting interrogators", the Washington Post reported.
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- The Chinese-American, who converted to Islam after being
raised as a Christian, arrived at Guantanamo Bay naval station in Cuba
last November.
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- His job was to teach fellow troops about Islam and counsel
those held as members of the Taleban or the al-Qaeda terror network.
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- Capt Yee, 34, who was born James Yee but later took the
Muslim name Yousef, was detained on 10 September in Jacksonville, Florida,
after returning from Guantanamo.
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- FBI agents confiscated classified documents he was allegedly
carrying and questioned him before he was handed over to the military.
He is being held in a military prison in Charleston, South Carolina.
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- The New York Times reported Capt Yee had sketches or
diagrams of the prison facilities, while CNN said he was carrying lists
of the detainees and their interrogators. In an interview with the Associated
Press in January, Capt Yee refused to answer questions about the depth
of his involvement with about 660 detainees, from 43 countries, mostly
men but including at least three teenagers.
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- When asked if he was sympathetic to the prisoners - some
of whom have been held in Guantanamo for nearly two years without charges
- Capt Yee was silent and showed no emotion.
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- "Iím here to provide spiritual services to
the detainees and to the troops," he said. He led Friday prayer services
at the base.
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- As an Arabic speaker, Capt Yee counselled the detainees,
advised them on religious matters and made sure all their dietary needs
were met.
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- In Camp Delta, a sprawling high-security prison in east
Cuba, Capt Yee was seldom out of earshot of armed guards or interpreters,
but sometimes had one-on-one meetings with detainees.
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- Capt Yee, who is married and grew up in Springfield,
New Jersey, converted to Islam from Christianity in 1991, after his military
studies at West Point.
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- He reportedly commanded a Patriot missile battery, and
converted to Islam when he served a stint in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf
war.
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- He left the army for Syria, where he underwent four years
of religious training. He returned to the US military soon after, as a
trained imam.
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- "One of the strengths of [Islamic] culture is diversity,"
he said in January.
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- "A lot of people donít know Jesus is part
of Islam but Muslims believe he was a prophet. Surely people can be more
open-minded."
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- ©2003 Scotsman.com
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- http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=1050692003
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