AF translator faces court-martial

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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) --  A Travis Air Force Base, Calif., airman who was deployed as a translator for the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be court-martialed. Maj. Gen. Paul W. Essex, 18th Air Force commander, referred formal charges Nov. 6 against Senior Airman Ahmad I. Al Halabi, of the 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

Essex’s action on the case follows an Article 32 hearing in September. The charges against Al Halabi referred to trial by general court-martial include 20 specifications of Uniform Code of Military Justice violations ranging from allegations of espionage, violating lawful general orders and making false official statements. Ten other charges from those originally preferred against the airman were dismissed.

The general did not refer the case as a capital case, which means Al Halabi will not face the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted. The general also selected a panel of court members from officers stationed at Travis AFB to hear the case.

Al Halabi was on temporary duty at Guantanamo Bay for nine months serving as a translator at the time of the alleged offenses. He was apprehended at Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Fla., July 23, then transported to his home station, Travis AFB, the next day. He is now in pretrial confinement at Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

The court-martial is expected to convene at Travis AFB, at a date yet to be determined. (Courtesy of Air Mobility Command News Service)