Trial ends for Air Force translator

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) --  Senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi, a supply clerk who served as a Guantanamo Bay translator, was found guilty of three charges and four specifications of violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The trial ended here Sept. 23.

Col. Barbara Brand, the military judge for the case, sentenced Airman al-Halabi to confinement for 295 days, demotion to airman basic and a bad-conduct discharge. Lt. Gen. William Welser III, 18th Air Force commander and convening authority, will take final action on the sentence. Airman al-Halabi will receive credit for the 295 days of pretrial confinement, so he will serve no additional time.

The charges and specifications were: two specifications of failure to obey a lawful general order by taking photos of the Camp Delta facility and moving classified information; making a false official statement by denying taking the photos; and wrongfully and willfully retaining unauthorized documents which were classified secret or marked secret at the time of possession.

Airman al-Halabi agreed to plea guilty to the charges and specifications in return for a sentence cap and his cooperation with investigative agencies. Other charges against him were withdrawn after the military judge accepted his guilty pleas.

General Welser said this agreement serves the interests of military justice and the accused.

”These are serious, felony-type offenses,” said Lt Col. Bryan Wheeler, lead prosecutor in the case.

Airman al-Halabi was assigned to the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron. At the time of the offenses, he was serving on temporary duty as a translator at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In his unsworn statement, Airman al-Halabi said he kept the unauthorized documents because he thought they were interesting.

“They were interesting to me, and they were about the work I did at (Guantanamo Bay),” he said. “I thought they would be nice memorabilia from my time there. They were my war trophies.”

After the sentence was announced, Maj. James Key, one of the military defense counselors, said the defense team would have been happier if Airman al-Halabi had not received a bad-conduct discharge, but everyone was relieved the trial was over.

The complexion of this case has changed since it began. Airman al-Halabi originally faced 30 charges, including attempted espionage. As the case and the investigation developed, the charges were adjusted to reflect the evidence more accurately.

“The case demonstrated the fairness and effectiveness of the military justice system,” said Col. John Kellogg, Air Mobility Command deputy staff judge advocate. “As the evidence evolved, the charges were reduced accordingly. The government took great strides to make sure Airman al-Halabi received a fair trial while meeting the military justice goal of maintaining good order and discipline.”