Gitmo interrogators face accusations
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-14 08:53

The MPs said in sworn statements that they suspected interrogators may have been trading the names and Social Security numbers of guards to get intelligence in return.

"I believe that some of the interrogators would do whatever it takes to gather that, including giving out some MP's personal information," said a guard from the 258th Military Police company who said he was concerned because some detainees had a "deep hatred" for him.

The investigator, after talking to guards, said: "All expressed concerns for the secrecy of their personal information and the safety of their families."

The situation was so bad that an investigator said two guards were "petrified" of disclosing their name, rank and Social Security numbers on Privacy Act statements during the probe.

"They both pushed away from the table with a look of horror on their faces and told the investigating officers that this information was provided to the detainees by the interrogators," the military investigator wrote.

The MPs said personal property of detainees that had been confiscated was sometimes returned to prisoners with the Privacy Act statements of guards who handled the belongings. The detainees told the guards that it was interrogators who gave them the documents.

Nearly 100 detainees have been released since the investigation, but it's unknown if any of those who have been freed had received information about the guards.

At Guantanamo, allegations of inappropriate ties between the largely Muslim detainees and their military and civilian handlers have surfaced before.

Troops had alleged that Ahmad I. al-Halabi, an Arabic translator for the Air Force who was convicted last year of mishandling documents at the base, and Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain who was cleared of espionage charges, had also sympathized with detainees.

Suspicion of Muslim personnel by non-Muslims wasn't uncommon, said Donald Rehkopf Jr., the lawyer for al-Halabi, who had more serious espionage charges dropped in a plea deal.

"There was a lot of conflict between the Muslim linguists and the cadre of MPs down there," he told the AP. "It was a total lack of cultural awareness."

It isn't known whether the March 2004 probe involved a Muslim interrogator. Military censors blacked out names and other identifying details in the report. He was described as a regional team chief in charge of interrogators handling detainees from an undisclosed part of the world.

In his sworn statement, the interrogator alleged that it was the guards who allowed detainees to overhear sensitive information. He also said he was told MPs had conducted an "unauthorized cell search" at midnight and "openly talk" about harassing detainees.

"The majority of the ... personnel, especially the reservists, are consummate professionals," the interrogator said. "Those few that dispense information (even inadvertently), who harass detainees, and act in an altogether unprofessional manner, undermine the mission ... and do a disservice to those who work hard to do a good job."

The investigator, though, sided with the MPs and developed a harsh opinion of the interrogator, calling him immature and "driven by ego," according to the report.

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