Guantanamo translations 'queried'

Prisoners may be re-interviewed if fears are confirmed

US investigators are said to be checking the translation of interrogations of prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay for sabotage.

Officials suspect Arabic interpreters may have sabotaged the interviews of al-Qaeda and Taleban suspects, the New York Times newspaper reports.

The US holds some 680 prisoners from its "war on terror" at its Cuban base.

Two interpreters are currently in custody on suspicion of spying along with a Muslim US army chaplain.

"There are enough suggestions that give us cause to compare the audiotapes with the translations," an unnamed senior US official told the Times.

According to the newspaper, many of the prisoners may have to be re-interviewed if the translation fears are confirmed.

Little is known about the extent of the possible security breach at Guantanamo, where detainees are being held under a maximum security regime by the US military pending trial.

Arrests

News of the sabotage fears comes on the eve of the second scheduled court appearance of Ahmed Mehalba, a US citizen of Egyptian origin who was arrested a week ago on suspicion of lying to federal officials.

He worked as a civilian interpreter at the camp. He is suspected of passing on classified information about the camp.

Another interpreter of Syrian origin, Senior Airman Ahmad al-Halabi, who worked at Guantanamo, was also arrested on spying charges.

And Captain Youssef Yee, a Muslim chaplain, is being held on suspicion of spying, although he has not been formally charged.