Sailor convicted of sharing information with the enemy
HT to Charles Johnson
The AP reports that a former sailor has been convicted of "sharing" intelligence with our enemies abroad. It's being acknowledged that while federal prosecutors couldn't prove he shared the movements of ships en route to the Persian Gulf, they did prove he did give intelligence to them:
A former Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters, an act that could have endangered his own crewmates.
Jurors convicted Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, of Phoenix of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information on the second day of deliberations.
The American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall faces up to 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced May 23. His attorneys said they were disappointed, and that an appeal was likely.
Jurors declined comment, as did Abu-Jihaad's family members.
The leak came amid increased wariness on the part of U.S. Navy commanders whose ships headed to the Persian Gulf in the months after a terrorist ambush in 2000 killed 17 sailors aboard the USS Cole.
"Fortunately there wasn't an attack based on the information Abu-Jihaad passed," said FBI Agent in Charge Kimberly K. Mertz.
Abu-Jihaad, who was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold, was accused of passing along details that included the makeup of his Navy battle group, its planned movements and a drawing of the group's formation when it was to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on April 29, 2001.
Abu-Jihaad's attorney said a four-year investigation that spanned two continents failed to turn up proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements and their vulnerability to attack.
Federal prosecutors said he sympathized with the enemy and admitted disclosing military intelligence. But they acknowledged they did not have direct proof that he leaked the ship details.
Authorities said the details of ship movements had to have been leaked by an insider, saying they were not publicly known and contained military jargon. The leaked documents closely matched what Abu-Jihaad would have had access to as a signalman, authorities said.
Prosecutors also said Abu-Jihaad was the only member of the military who was communicating with the alleged terrorists. They cited one e-mail in which he called the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 a "martyrdom operation" and praised "the men who have brong honor ... in the lands of jihad Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, etc."
Prosecutors cited secretly recorded phone calls played during the trial in which Abu-Jihaad spoke of "fresh meals" and "cold meals" that an FBI informant said were references to intelligence related to military bases. A "fresh meal" referred to useful information, while "cold meal" was code for outdated intelligence, prosecutors said. ...
Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from a suspected terrorism supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities. The file ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony.
OK, so he didn't do what prosecutors claim, but they were ale to prove he was sharing intelligence with our enemies. This brings back memories of October 2000 when the USS Cole was attacked while in port. The group was moving towards the Straits of Hormuz where just a couple short months ago, Iranian boats attempted to provoke a response from a groups of US ships by acting provocatively towards them.
I hope this POS enjoys his time in prison. Personally, we'd lose the cell where he's at. Forget losing the key.
Publius II
The AP reports that a former sailor has been convicted of "sharing" intelligence with our enemies abroad. It's being acknowledged that while federal prosecutors couldn't prove he shared the movements of ships en route to the Persian Gulf, they did prove he did give intelligence to them:
A former Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters, an act that could have endangered his own crewmates.
Jurors convicted Hassan Abu-Jihaad, 32, of Phoenix of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information on the second day of deliberations.
The American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall faces up to 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced May 23. His attorneys said they were disappointed, and that an appeal was likely.
Jurors declined comment, as did Abu-Jihaad's family members.
The leak came amid increased wariness on the part of U.S. Navy commanders whose ships headed to the Persian Gulf in the months after a terrorist ambush in 2000 killed 17 sailors aboard the USS Cole.
"Fortunately there wasn't an attack based on the information Abu-Jihaad passed," said FBI Agent in Charge Kimberly K. Mertz.
Abu-Jihaad, who was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold, was accused of passing along details that included the makeup of his Navy battle group, its planned movements and a drawing of the group's formation when it was to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on April 29, 2001.
Abu-Jihaad's attorney said a four-year investigation that spanned two continents failed to turn up proof that Abu-Jihaad leaked details of ship movements and their vulnerability to attack.
Federal prosecutors said he sympathized with the enemy and admitted disclosing military intelligence. But they acknowledged they did not have direct proof that he leaked the ship details.
Authorities said the details of ship movements had to have been leaked by an insider, saying they were not publicly known and contained military jargon. The leaked documents closely matched what Abu-Jihaad would have had access to as a signalman, authorities said.
Prosecutors also said Abu-Jihaad was the only member of the military who was communicating with the alleged terrorists. They cited one e-mail in which he called the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 a "martyrdom operation" and praised "the men who have brong honor ... in the lands of jihad Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, etc."
Prosecutors cited secretly recorded phone calls played during the trial in which Abu-Jihaad spoke of "fresh meals" and "cold meals" that an FBI informant said were references to intelligence related to military bases. A "fresh meal" referred to useful information, while "cold meal" was code for outdated intelligence, prosecutors said. ...
Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from a suspected terrorism supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities. The file ended with instructions to destroy the message, according to testimony.
OK, so he didn't do what prosecutors claim, but they were ale to prove he was sharing intelligence with our enemies. This brings back memories of October 2000 when the USS Cole was attacked while in port. The group was moving towards the Straits of Hormuz where just a couple short months ago, Iranian boats attempted to provoke a response from a groups of US ships by acting provocatively towards them.
I hope this POS enjoys his time in prison. Personally, we'd lose the cell where he's at. Forget losing the key.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 6:19 PM
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