WASHINGTON — Despite U.S. charges implicating Syria in the Guantanamo Bay spy case, the State Department has no information about Syrian government involvement and has not been asked to protest to Damascus, senior State Department officials said Wednesday.
The detention of three Muslim Americans who worked at the top-security base in Cuba, where suspected members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network captured in Afghanistan are held, has rocked the Pentagon and triggered a military investigation.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the case has been the linkage made by the government in court documents between Air Force Senior Airman Ahmad I. Al-Halabi and Syria, which is on a list of states Washington accuses of sponsoring terrorism. The Syrian government has denied any involvement with Al-Halabi.
The State Department officials seemed to back up, to some extent, Syria's denials.
"We're not aware of any information linking the government of Syria or official Syrian government involvement to this case," said one senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified.
Added another senior official: "There's nothing to protest [to Syria about] as they're not involved."
The State Department issues public or diplomatic protests in cases of illegal or illicit actions by foreign governments. No action has been taken or requested by other U.S. government entities, including the White House, Justice Department or FBI, the officials said.
Some U.S. officials now suggest that Al-Halabi, 24, may instead be linked to Syrian individuals -- or possibly the Muslim Brotherhood, a group with suspected ties to Al Qaeda -- rather than to the government.
Al-Halabi was arrested July 23 after serving eight months as a translator at Guantanamo Bay. He is charged with trying to pass more than 180 notes from detainees at the prison's Camp Delta, as well as a map of the prison and flight paths to it.
The Air Force charge sheets filed against Al-Halabi repeatedly contend that he was trying to benefit Syria. They say his activity was done "with intent or reason to believe it would be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of Syria."
Other times, the charge sheets allege that Al-Halabi attempted to deliver material directly concerning intelligence gathering and planning for the U.S.-declared war on terrorism "to a citizen of a foreign government by carrying such notes en route to Syria, a foreign nation." The "citizen" was not identified.
