Were They Aiding The Enemy?

There are various theories about what Yee and al-Halabi might have been up to. One explanation is that they wanted to help inmates feed interrogators false or misleading intelligence. Another theory is that they were trying to relay the names of the inmates, though to whom remains unclear. The Pentagon is particularly concerned about that because the names of the detainees have never been released, and al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups cannot be sure who is being held.

A less sinister explanation for the alleged behavior of Yee and al-Halabi is that they became sympathetic to the prisoners' plight and wanted to pass news about them to their families. It is a well-known psychological phenomenon for guards to develop sympathies for their captives. Indeed, many of the prisoners are considered of marginal danger. According to a military source, only a handful at the camp are deemed to be hard-core al-Qaeda operatives, and they are segregated from the rest.

The Pentagon is currently reviewing both security at Gitmo and the method it uses to choose and vet the chaplains that minister to the military's estimated 4,000 Muslims. In the meantime, Yee must be charged under the military code within 120 days of his arrest or be released. Whether Yee and al-Halabi knew each other and collaborated in a spy ring or are simply fellow Muslims whose devoutness was mistaken for betrayal is the next chapter in a spy story that is still being written.