A former Navy Corpsman, formerly Paul Hall but now known as Hassan Abujihaad (I have no clue why he changed his name; he might have an eating disorder) has been charged with passing off sensitive Navy information that included the locatin of U.S. ships in the Middle East in the Spring of 2001 to Al Qaida.

He is accused of sending classified information about the movements of a Navy battle group deployed to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2001. The document discussed potential vulnerabilities to attack. It was sent to the operators of a London Web site, Assam Publications, who have since been arrested on terrorism charges. Their arrests in 2004 first exposed the contacts.

Federal agents said Abujihaad described the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Aden harbor in Yemen as a “martyrdom operation” and said that such tactics were working and taking their toll on the Navy . . .

Abujihaad exchanged e-mails with [Babar] Ahmad [ed. not the cartoon elephant, but rather a fundraiser for Islamist groups] while on active duty on the USS Benfold, a guided-missile destroyer, in 2000 and 2001, according to an affidavit released Wednesday. He allegedly purchased videos promoting violent jihad.

The timing of the alleged leak is what is most interesting to me.  This was, quite clearly, prior to 9/11 yet Abujihaad not only has a clever name but he also was still a naval officer when U.S. ships were steaming towards the Persian Gulf following the Al Qaida attack.  Why then did he not send similar information at that time, or did he and there’s just not enough evidence of it to charge Abjihaad with or it has yet to be uncovered?

The reason I ask is the M.V. Mecca which docked in Bangledesh in December 2001 and has been the subject of many rumors.  To me it would only make sense that someone who supports jihad and Al Qaida would have passed along similar information knowing that would help Al Qaida slip past notice, that is unless Abujihaad is just another of those jihadis who talk the talk but are unwilling to put their necks on the line.  You know, kind of like those who recruit suicide bombers but refuse to actually partake in the ‘martyrdom’ operations.