Ex-Navy sailor convicted

NEW HAVEN, CONN. — A former Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorism supporters, an act that could have endangered his own crewmates.

On the second day of deliberations, jurors convicted Hassan Abujihaad, 32, of Phoenix of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information.

The American-born Muslim convert formerly known as Paul R. Hall faces up to 25 years in federal prison when he is sentenced in May. His attorney, Dan LaBelle, said an appeal was likely. “We’re disappointed with the verdict, but we respect the process. It was a close case,” LaBelle said.

Reached by telephone Wednesday afternoon, a juror called the case “difficult” and said there was plenty of debate in the two days of deliberations. “It was a very, very difficult decision to make,” said the juror, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of the case. “It was not something that was clear-cut. When we concluded, there was not a doubt in our mind.”

The leak came amid increased wariness on the part of Navy commanders whose ships headed to the Persian Gulf in the months after a terrorist ambush in Yemen in 2000 killed 17 sailors aboard the U.S. guided-missile destroyer Cole. “Fortunately, there wasn’t an attack based on the information Abujihaad passed,” said FBI agent Kimberly K. Mertz.

Abujihaad, who was a signalman aboard the guided-missile destroyer Benfold, was accused of passing along details that included the makeup of his Navy battle group, its planned movements and a drawing of the group’s formation when it was to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on April 29, 2001.

Abujihaad’s attorney said a four-year investigation that spanned two continents had failed to turn up proof that Abujihaad leaked details of ship movements and their vulnerability to attack.

Federal prosecutors said Abujihaad sympathized with the enemy and had admitted disclosing military intelligence. But they acknowledged that they did not have direct proof he had leaked the ship details.

Authorities said the details of ship movements had to have been leaked by an insider, as they were not publicly known and contained military jargon. The leaked documents closely matched what Abujihaad would have had access to as a signalman, authorities said.