Navy Turncoat

[Fly Navy]

Hang the bastard.

NAVY TURNCOAT

By VINCENT MORRIS

August 7, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - A U.S. sailor aboard one of America's high-tech Navy warships sent e-mails to a suspected London-based al Qaeda terrorist and may have revealed sensitive military secrets, authorities announced yesterday.

The traitor sailor, who has not been identified, praised Muslim terror strikes against America and may have turned over detailed plans about the Navy's USS Benfold and more than a dozen other ships in its battle group as they were moving through the Mideast, officials said.

The information about the American sailor was disclosed yesterday by federal prosecutors in Connecticut who said he had been in contact with accused British terrorist Babar Ahmad.

In court papers, prosecutors said the sailor sent a July 2001 e-mail to Ahmad that expressed "enmity towards the 'American enemies' and strong support for" Islamic fighters.

The e-mail also hailed those who attacked the USS Cole and "the men who have brought honor this week to the [religious leaders] in lands of Jihad: Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, etc."

Prosecutors said, "The response sent from the [Ahmad's] e-mail account praised the [Navy] enlistee's comments."

The sailor told Ahmad about how the men on his ship reacted to a briefing they were given on how to prevent terror attacks similar to the deadly strike against the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen that killed 17 Americans.

Investigators also found information on Ahmad's computers showing the vulnerability of the battleship to an assault by a small craft of men armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor said, "You can rest assured the Navy knows who he is and is taking appropriate precautions."

Ahmad, arrested earlier this week, is accused of running two U.S.-based Web sites to recruit and raise money for Taliban fighters and other terrorists.

Prosecutors said he had at least one classified Navy document about the movement and plans of the 8,000-person battle group that the USS Benfold is attached to.

Among the documents was a drawing showing the formation of the various ships in the group as they passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East.

The sailor left the Navy two years ago when his enlistment expired, authorities said.

"We are aware of the investigation. There is currently no tie between the sailor and the information on the battle group," said Lt. Ohene Gyapong, a Pentagon spokesman told The Post yesterday, noting that the Navy's own investigative agency took part.

None of the ships in the battle group was ever attacked.

The USS Benfold is a 505-foot guided-missile destroyer based in San Diego and is named after Edward C. Benfold, a Medal of Honor recipient from Pennsylvania killed during the Korean War while saving two injured Marines.

The $1 billion, high-tech destroyer is armed with Tomahawk missiles.

 

[PropStop]

treason is punishable by death. nobody has the sack to give it though.

 

[Red2]

Let me know if they need volunteers for a firing squad. :icon_shoo

 

[VetteMuscle427]

how dumb can you be? did he think that email wasn't monitored??? COMPUTER: Search EMail for Jihad......

 

[theblakeness]

treason is punishable by death. nobody has the sack to give it though.

I was just going to ask about this. I thought it was still punishable by death, but was wondering if anybody on our side ever goes through with the punishment.

 

[Thisguy]

They should just stick him in the brig, and keep moving him to different ships so he's deployed year-round for the next 20 years. That should be fun.

 

[Flash]

I was just going to ask about this. I thought it was still punishable by death, but was wondering if anybody on our side ever goes through with the punishment.

Treason is the only crime defined in the Constitution. Two people have to testify to the fact that the person commited the treason, which was a big stumbling block with John Walker Lindh (you think they were going to get some Taliban guys to tesify?). Here is a link:

http://tomdelay.house.gov/constitution/View/Article3/a3s3c1.htm

That is why you don't get guys convisted of treason lately.

 

[snow85]

true,

and because it's such a serious offense, many interpret that to mean two identical eyewitness accounts.... which are very difficult to come by.

 

[EngineGirl]

treason is punishable by death. nobody has the sack to give it though.

Just send them to Texas, we like to execute everyone down here!!!

 

[Falcaner]

a way to deal with him

I say you stick this guy on a ship with a big sign on his neck that says " I LOVE AL QAEDA" and send it out to sea for a week. Trust me by the time it gets back he won't even be on the ship anymore!!! :icon_smil

 

[JaneDenver]

Better yet, you could hang a sign around his neck that says "Allah is a bastard" and drop him in the UAE.

 

[Dunedan]

I don't mean to sound too "conspiracy theory" -ish, but, while this could have happened, it sound like the kind of thing that was either made up by the story-writer or twisted around to sound like something it wasn't. Thinking along the lines of what VetteMuscle said - you'd think that any idiot would know that email from a ship is monitored...don't they tell you that when you come on board?

What's the source? I see the name of an author, but what news agency is he writing for?

 

[Fly Navy]

I don't mean to sound too "conspiracy theory" -ish, but, while this could have happened, it sound like the kind of thing that was either made up by the story-writer or twisted around to sound like something it wasn't. Thinking along the lines of what VetteMuscle said - you'd think that any idiot would know that email from a ship is monitored...don't they tell you that when you come on board?

What's the source? I see the name of an author, but what news agency is he writing for?

I wish I could track down the original source for you. However, I've seen this story pop up on other news services too. It happened a while ago, so it'll be tough to find.

 

[flashypants]

I don't mean to sound too "conspiracy theory" -ish, but, while this could have happened, it sound like the kind of thing that was either made up by the story-writer or twisted around to sound like something it wasn't. Thinking along the lines of what VetteMuscle said - you'd think that any idiot would know that email from a ship is monitored...don't they tell you that when you come on board?

What's the source? I see the name of an author, but what news agency is he writing for?

This news is also featured in the August 23rd issue of Navy Times, in an article written by Christopher Munsey (page 10). The sailor has been identified as Signalman 2nd Class Hassan Abujihaad. He has served his obligation and is currently in the Individual Ready Reserve. So it seems that this holds some weight, and is not "made up by the story-writer." Sure, any idiot would know that email is monitored, but don't let things like this surprise you, or brush them under the rug as "made up" or "twisted around." Mentality like that is dangerous.

 

[Dunedan]

Not trying to be too suspicious, but I do know how much some media sources love a sensation; report something exciting first, get the story straight later. I feel more confident, however, now that you've pointed out that it came from the Navy Times and the sailor has a name. I just tend to ask for a source when I see a story like that.