LONDON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- An al-Jazeera cameraman held at Guantanamo Bay says the U.S. military tried to recruit him as a spy.
Sami Muhyideen al-Hajj said the U.S. military told him that he would be released if he agreed to spy on journalists at the Arabic news channel, The Guardian newspaper reported Monday.
Al-Hajj has been in Guantanamo without charge for three-and-a-half years after being accused of being a terrorist, allegations he denies. He said U.S. military personnel alleged during his interrogation that al-Jazeera had been infiltrated by al-Qaida, The Guardian said.
Al-Hajj was arrested in December 2001 on the Afghan-Pakistani border while on assignment. His allegations are contained in notes of visits he received in Guantánamo from his lawyer. The documents appear to show that the American military views the broadcaster, which is about to launch an English language channel, as an al-Qaida front.
Al-Hajj is a Sudanese national and is married with a five-year-old child. He also alleged that the U.S. military threatened his family if he accepted release and then refused to spy on al-Jazeera, The Guardian said.
