AMCIT DETAINED FOR PHOTOGRAPHING SPECIAL COURT, NO

S E C R E T FREETOWN 000360

SIPDIS

SIPDIS NOFORN

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDING SIPDIS CAPTION)

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA
DEPT ALSO FOR DS/DSS/IP AND DS/IP/AF
EUCOM ALSO FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2011
TAGS: ASEC CASC PREL SL LI
SUBJECT: AMCIT DETAINED FOR PHOTOGRAPHING SPECIAL COURT, NO
CHARGES YET FILED

REF: FREETOWN 351

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JAMES A. STEWART FOR REASONS
1.4 B/D.

Summary
--------------

1. (C) On May 2, AmCit Michael Chemidlin was arrested for
taking photographs of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
(reftel) where war crimes indictee former Liberian President
Charles Taylor is incarcerated awaiting trial. Chemidlin was
accompanied by two Sierra Leoneans who he said told him to
take the pictures. As a member of the National Guard he
served in Iraq and befriended Sierra Leoneans working there
on contract. Chemidlin traveled to Ghana, then Sierra Leone,
and planned to go next to Liberia in association with Sierra
Leoneans he met in Iraq and who are associated with an
unregistered church. The investigation file has moved to the
level of the Attorney General and the Office of National
Security which implies that the Government is looking at this
as a national security case. No charges have been filed yet,
but the law allows ten days after initial arrest in security
cases. Post's security contacts have no information linking
Chemidlin or his associates with Taylor or his associates.
Nevertheless, local authorities are taking seriously any
incident potentially related to Taylor. Post's view is that
the reconnaissance was real, at least on the part of the
those who directed the photographs, but it remains unclear
whether the reconnaissance is linked to a credible capacity
to threaten Special Court security. End Summary.

AmCit Arrested for Taking Photographs of SCSL
--------------

2. (C) On May 2, the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) arrested AmCit
Michael Chemidlin who had been observed taking photographs of
the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) facility where war
crimes indictees, including former Liberian President Charles
Taylor, are incarcerated (reftel). Beginning April 29, the
SLP invited Chemidlin to the Criminal Investigation Division
(CID) headquarters in central Freetown each day for
questioning. He had been traveling in the sub-region and was
planning to proceed to Liberia on what he described as a
church mission.


3. (S/NF) The Chief of Security at the SCSL said that on
April 29, UN security forces at the SCSL compound observed
one &older white male8 and &one younger African male8
taking photographs of the outside perimeter of the SCSL
compound from Kenyatta Street, the busy street where the
SCSL's main entrance is located. The UN security forces
contacted the SLP and the SLP Special Branch (SB )
intelligence arm) reportedly questioned one AmCit and two
Sierra Leoneans in relation to the incident. Security
sensitivities were heightened about 10 days prior, when UN
security forces were alerted to watch for "westerners8 in
the vicinity of the SCSL because intelligence reporting (NFI)
indicated that supporters of Charles Taylor might use
&mercenaries8 to carry out missions against the SCSL.


4. (SBU) When the SLP processed the film from Chemidlin's
camera, they found several photos of the SCSL's gates, high
security walls on different sides of the large compound, and
guard towers manned by the UN's Security Forces. As they
were taken from various angles and different locations around
the perimeter of the walled compound, the SLP judged the
photographs not to be consistent with tourist photographs.
In addition, the CID indicated that Chemidlin took
photographs of the SCSL on two separate occasions, once
during the day and another time at night, although they did
not share evidence of the latter.


5. (C) The SLP also arrested two of Chemidlin's Sierra
Leonean friends from his time in Iraq, Demosco Kamala and
Felix Rogers who were with Chemedlin when the photos were
taken. Chemidlin said that they told him to take the
photographs, but the SLP provided post no further information
on Kamala and Rogers.

Iraq Military Service and Sierra Leonean Friends
-------------- ---

6. (SBU) Chemidlin served in Iraq during 2004 as a National
Guard cook. While there, Chemidlin became acquainted with

several Sierra Leonean nationals who were working as contract
laborers. Several hundred private Sierra Leoneans have
worked in Iraq thus far. UK companies recruited them,
working through the Sierra Leonean Labor Ministry. Many of
them are now unemployed in Freetown and on May 3 a small
group of returned workers demonstrated peacefully in front of
the CID headquarters where Chemidlin was being held to
protest his detention. The leader of one of the group of
returned workers told ConOff that they are working with the
Labor Ministry on going to Iraq again, but at higher wages.
Because they do not want to compromise that opportunity, they
said they will not demonstrate again.


7. (SBU) In March 2006, Chemidlin stated that he was
honorably discharged from the US military, although he may
have continuing National Guard duties to fulfill. April
14-18 (per stamps in his passport),he traveled to Ghana,
then via air to Sierra Leone. In Sierra Leone, he initially
traveled for several days in the interior, and then came to
Freetown. Chemidlin told the CID that the purpose of his
travel to Ghana and Sierra Leone, and his planned travel to
Liberia, was to visit his friends who are associated with the
&Church in Freetown.8 According to the CID, the church is
not a recognized religious establishment and consists of
about 10 members all of whom are Sierra Leonean males aged
approximately 18 to 25 years.


8. (SBU) CID Director Musa Lappia shared a hard copy of an
email reportedly sent to Chemidlin, regarding the church
mission, setting forth its basic tenets, and requesting
material support. The message was signed by &Collins, Sadr,
Ansu, Demosco and others8 and made reference to Brother
Paul and Kafui.

Detained, No Charges Yet, Investigation Continues
-------------- --------------

9. (SBU) Chemidlin has not yet been charged with a crime.
The CID turned the file over to the Director of Public
Prosecution (DPP) who, we understand, passed it directly up
to the Attorney General's office. It is unclear what statute
he might have violated and the CID would not speculate as to
what potential charges might be. Under Sierra Leone law, the
Government has 72 hours to file charges in a criminal case,
but up to 10 days in cases involving national security. On
May 5, Chemidlin,s file was transferred to the Office of
National Security (Presidency) which makes it likely that the
Government will use the 10-day rule.


10. (S/NF) Our security contacts at the SCSL say that they
also are continuing to investigate. They will be reviewing
the tapes from the exterior security cameras from the
appropriate dates to see if they recorded Chemidlin or the
others observing the court compound.


11. (S/NF) Embassy offices continue to coordinate with local
security sector contacts to be assured that the incident is
investigated for any connection to Charles Taylor. At this
point, security contacts have no information linking
Chemidlin or his associates to Charles Taylor or known
associates of Charles Taylor. The only known Taylor
supporters in Freetown are those who visit him at the SCSL
prison and who must register to enter, but surrounding whom
security contacts say there are no indications of subversive
activity.

Comment
--------------

12. (C) The lengthy and continuing SLP and SB conversations
with Chemidlin about the photographs he took of the Special
Court for Sierra Leone indicate that the Sierra Leonean
authorities are taking seriously any incident potentially
relating to Charles Taylor. The fact that the file advanced
quickly to the Attorney General and the Office of National
Security is a further such indication. With no charges after
three days and the file at high levels, the implications is
that the authorities see this as a national security case.
However, it could also be because the police are operating at
the very limits of their investigative capacity and simply
have not yet made full sense of the things. Post's view is
that, given the evidence to date, the reconnaissance activity
was real and intentional, at least on the part of the

individual(s) who allegedly directed Chemidlin to take the
photographs. What remains unclear is whether the
reconnaissance is linked to a credible capability to threaten
the security of the Special Court. Post will continue to
discreetly monitor events. End Comment.
STEWART