Guantanamo Inmate Says US Told Him to Spy on al-Jazeera

[buzzsaw_23]

Guantánamo inmate says US told him to spy on al-Jazeera

Vikram Dodd
Monday September 26, 2005
The Guardian

The US military told an al-Jazeera cameraman being held at Guantánamo Bay that he would be released as long as he agreed to spy on journalists at the Arabic news channel, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The journalist has been in the prison without charge for three-and-a-half years after being accused by the US of being a terrorist, allegations he denies. He claims that he has been interrogated more than 100 times but not asked about alleged terrorist offences. Instead, Sami Muhyideen al-Hajj says US military personnel have alleged during interrogation that al-Jazeera has been infiltrated by al-Qaida and that one of its presenters is linked to Islamists.

Some of the interviews have been carried out by British interrogators, who also wanted the cameraman to spy for them. Mr Hajj was arrested in December 2001 on the Afghan-Pakistani border while on assignment. His allegations are contained in notes of visits he received in Guantánamo in June this year from his lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith. The notes have been declassified by the US military.

<snip>

Mr Hajj said that in one session of questioning he was offered US citizenship if he became a spy: "They have said, 'If you work with us, we will teach you journalism, we will get you a visa to live anywhere you want, we will even give you US nationality, we will protect you, we will give you money. We will help you write a book and then we will publish it. This will help make the al-Qaida people contact you, and work with you.'"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1578134,00.html

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

1. Kick...

...Like al-Jazeera is the biggest problem for the U.S government. Oh wait, maybe a media outlet that they don't influence is their biggest problem.

Hello to all the U.S. government people monitoring this website. :hi:

[Up2Late]

2. I think you missed the point or the really bad part about this...

"...The journalist has been in the prison without charge for three-and-a-half years after being accused by the US of being a terrorist, allegations he denies...."

This is outrageous! Add this to all the Journalists in Iraq that have been "accidentally killed" or attacked.:mad:

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Tony Blair's sister-in-law may go to work for Al Jazeera

I cna't find it online, but Lauren Booth, a journalist, and Cherie Blair's half-sister, wrote a piece for either the Mail or Express this weekend saying she was considering going to work for the new English Al Jazeera channel. I hope she does, if only to make a few freepers' heads explode.