Guantanamo chaplain reprimanded

Yee will be allowed to return to his previous duty station, say officials

A Muslim US army chaplain who ministered to al-Qaeda suspects in Guantanamo Bay has been reprimanded for adultery and downloading pornography.

Capt James Yee, or Yousef Yee, was disciplined two days after the US army dropped criminal charges against him of mishandling classified information.

Military officials said the case was dropped because of "national security concerns" if the evidence was released.

Capt Yee's lawyer, Eugene Fidell, said his client would appeal.

Mr Fidell said he thought Capt Yee's Muslim faith led the authorities to suspect him and said his client was "the victim of an incredible drive-by act of legal violence".

Capt Yee was arrested in September as he arrived at a Florida naval base.

In October, he was charged with two counts of failing to obey orders - specifically, for taking classified material to his home.

A month later, he faced fresh charges, including adultery - a crime under US military justice - and storing pornography on a government computer.

A Chinese-American, Capt Yee converted to Islam while serving in Saudi Arabia following the 1991 Gulf war.

His arrest led to concerns about security at the military prison, where more than 600 suspected Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters have been held for over two years.