VZCZCXYZ0018
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHFN #0360/01 1311245
ZNY SSSSS ZZH (CCY ADC86BF5 MSI9189-695)
O 051713Z MAY 06 ZDS ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9748
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0135
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE

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