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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Latest on a former FBI translator charged with making false statements after prosecutors say he altered transcripts of a message left on his own voicemail by a terrorism suspect (all times local):
2:50 p.m.
A judge has ordered an ex-FBI translator to be freed on bail while he awaits trial on charges he doctored transcripts in which his own name appeared on an intercepted call from a terrorism suspect.
Sixty-six-year-old Abdirizak Wehelie (wuh-HEEL'-ee) of Burke, Virginia, made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria on charges of making false statements and obstructing an investigation.
Prosecutors did not object to his release on $20,000 unsecured bail.
According to an indictment, Wehelie was tasked in 2012 with translating calls made by a terrorism suspect. It turned out that one of the calls was placed to Wehelie himself. The indictment alleges that Wehelie marked himself down as "unidentified male" even though he knew he was the recipient of the call.
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10 a.m.
Federal authorities have charged a former FBI translator with making false statements after they say he altered transcripts of calls in which his own voice was caught on intercepts with terrorism suspects.
Abdirizak Wehelie (wuh-HEEL'-ee) was arrested Saturday. The 66-year-old former contract translator for the federal agency faces an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria.
Wehelie and his family live in Virginia. A son, Yusuf Wehelie, is serving 10 years in prison for transporting weapons in a case where he spoke with an undercover witness about his desire to shoot up a military recruitment center on behalf of the Islamic State group.
Another son, Yahya, was barred from returning to the U.S. in 2010 on an overseas trip until he successfully overturned his status on the no-fly list.
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