Salem Sailor Jailed on Charges of Spying

(NORFOLK, VA.) - A U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class named Ariel J. Weinmann is in solitary confinement at a Norfolk, Virginia Navy base facing an accusation of espionage on three continents.

CNN reported Wednesday that sources close to the case involving the 21-year old submariner say he is accused of spying on Russia's behalf. In a related story, The Jerusalem Post says a Saudi Arabian newspaper claims Weinmann was spying for Israel.

According to reports, Ariel's father Robert Weinmann says the authorities don't know what they are talking about, pointing to everything being a matter of speculation at this point.

Navy officials told The Virginian-Pilot on condition of anonymity, that they can't comment on reports that Weinmann was passing classified information to the Russian government.

The Navy's charge against Weinmann alleges that he... "communicate, deliver or transmit classified confidential and secret information relating to the national defense to a representative, officer, agent or employee of a foreign government."

Weinmann is charged with deserting the Navy in early July 2005, a few months after his first alleged contact with a foreign government agent in Bahrain, where he was deployed.

The alleged contact happened twice over the course of a year in Vienna, Austria, and Mexico City during the period that the Navy says he was a deserter.

He underwent a preliminary hearing on July 26th called an Article 32. According to the Navy, Weinmann also faces charges for desertion, failing to properly secure classified information, making an electronic copy of classified information, communicating classified information to a person not entitled to receive it, and stealing and destroying a laptop computer.

Salem-News.com Top Stories

2025: Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst

Two Wars with No Way Out

No One Owns the Future

The Ugly Origins of Trump's America First Policy

A One-State Solution Could Transform the World

Comments

Comments are Closed on this story.

Commusariat du Plan December 9, 2006 8:37 am (Pacific time)

He was just trying to make an honest buck. No different than all the corporations killing us with their hormones and polluting everything. The guy should get an academy award!

Trotsky Cheburashkin September 2, 2006 3:42 pm (Pacific time)

Muslim Teen ( Jewish ancestry - changing his last name from Pearlman to Gadahn)Made Conversion to Fury (washingtonpost.com) Within a year, Yahya -- born Adam Gadahn to parents of Jewish and Catholic ... Now some intelligence sources say they believe Gadahn is the masked man seen ... www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26447-2004Dec1.html

Trotsky August 26, 2006 6:48 pm (Pacific time)

The President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin (Владимир Путин), according to jewish laws is 100% jewish.The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Fradkov, ( Mихаи́л Фрадко́в), is also 100% jewish. Does the etymology of the name make any difference?

Cheburashkin August 26, 2006 6:23 pm (Pacific time)

The President of the Russian Federation, Mr. Vladimir Putin (Владимир Путин), according to jewish laws is 100% jewish.The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Fradkov, ( Mихаил Фрадков), is also 100% jewish. Does the etymology of the name make any difference?

Alec August 26, 2006 12:25 pm (Pacific time)

It was written many times in many media sources that Ariel's father denied a Jewish origin of his family. One of the argument that was used is the second "n" in his last name. How then can he explain the origin of the first name: Ariel. I've checked a couple of websites with Jewish and German names and found out that while 'Ariel' could be easily found among the list of Jewish names (it actually means "lion of God") it's not on the list of German names. Is there any explanation for that? http://german.about.com/library/blvornamen02.htm http://judaism.about.com/library/3_lifecycles/names/bl_names_ba.htm

Albert Marnell August 19, 2006 8:44 am (Pacific time)

Dear Religion is not an issue: I believe you are true to your word. Since Israel is not a part of the United States, if push comes to shove, who comes first... the United States or Israel? They are as you know two separate countries, or has something changed? I'll take dual citizenship in any country. The more legal rights I have globally, the better. With all respect. Al

Religion is not the issue. August 16, 2006 10:39 pm (Pacific time)

I am career Naval Officer and Jewish. I believe in the United States and Israel. If he is guilty he should be shot.

Codrianu August 16, 2006 12:23 pm (Pacific time)

The Russian/Ukrainian secret service and MOSSAD is one. I make this statement from my personal experience which come directly from high ranking officer of the above mentioned institutions.

Greg K. August 13, 2006 10:28 pm (Pacific time)

To Albert M: your conclusion is correct - a single episode would not affect image of the German community. If this fear was behind your initial responce, it was unfounded.

Albert Marnell August 12, 2006 12:02 am (Pacific time)

To: Greg K. I do not know if you were refering to me. I am not anti-Semitic. I could take what you stated and replace the word Jewish with German. Both would be true.

Greg K. August 11, 2006 11:38 am (Pacific time)

Heritage of this man does not matter: there is no community immune from crime. Even if he's Jewish a single case can not discredit a multi-million community otherwise known for high contributions in science, technology, medicine,arts, etc., which indeed help this country to sustain lead in highly competitive international environment. Those who in hurry with anti-semitic comments are typically underacheavers, emotionally unbalanced, etc.. It is recommended a good (may be Jewish) psycologist.

I would know. August 10, 2006 11:19 pm (Pacific time)

Let this Jewish angle go. Its not like him. I've known him for years and while any of this comes as some degree of a surprise to me I must say in all sincerity that if he is guilty than it was for what he percieved as ethical reasons, not for some belief in loyalty to a certain heritage. I'm not saying his views are right, and if he is guilty i'm certainly not saying his actions are, all i'm stating is that he would not have done it for another reason.

Fred Again August 10, 2006 2:21 pm (Pacific time)

The largest Jewish cities in the world were in this order 25 years ago. New York #1, Moscow#2, Tel Aviv#3. Do you see the link? The United States Jewish population is mostly Russian and Polish Jewry. At this time the newest Jewish immigrants are from the relatively newly open Russia. Many Jews have names that are Germanic in origin but are from the Jewish Pale that historically was a circle including Russia and Poland. There are very few Jews in Poland today, but Russia still has a very high Jewish population. Yiddish is a mixture of German, Polish, Russian and Hebrew, plus it has it's own original words. But it is mostly Germanic in wording and many Jewish last names to this day that have not been changed mean something in Yiddish or more specifically German. For hundreds and hundreds of years before the two wars, Jews were merchants of goods and money. The merchant language for 800 years or so was always German. He has Russian and Semitic (Jewish) features. My bet is that he is at least half-Russian Jewish and how in the hell can you believe anything that the father of such a person says? The fruit does not fall far from the tree. I'm sure his father is a consummate liar and taught his son very well. His features are absolutely not German. They are Russian and Jewish.

Fred August 10, 2006 2:02 pm (Pacific time)

Anonymous, I do not believe you. Ariel is as Jewish as Bok Choy is Chinese. Weinmann with two nn's is German. Some one is full of it. Or he is a German Jew, what do you know about that? That would fit Albert Marnell's history lesson perfectly.

Anonymous August 10, 2006 12:21 pm (Pacific time)

Robert Weinmann says his son is not Jewish (the family's heritage is German), and Navy sources also say Israel is not the alleged recipient.

Meta Minichberger August 10, 2006 10:45 am (Pacific time)

It is a shame that so many Jews are loyal to Israel first. The U.S. comes in second. This case really blows my mind but maybe he is just another Mata Hari.

Doug August 10, 2006 10:04 am (Pacific time)

If guilty; firing squad.

James Boldebuck August 10, 2006 6:10 am (Pacific time)

If he is guilty I doubt that he worked alone. Lets dig deeper and if guilty throw the book at him.

don lott August 10, 2006 4:52 am (Pacific time)

shoot him for spying

Not Anti-Semitic by Albert M August 10, 2006 4:19 am (Pacific time)

This is a modern version of what happened in Germany before WW2. Many of the Jews in Germany, the newly recreated Poland, and Russia of course, took the side of Russia and it's ideology. Almost all of the pro-Russian Bolshevik (Communist) philosophers were Jewish....Leon Trotsky, Karl Marx, Rosa Luxemburg etc., etc. They were part of the Marxist wave of leaders from WW1 till WW2 that wanted all of Europe to be communist. It is no surprise why Hitler decided that the Jews were a threat to the existing capitalist state of Germany. These people were viewed as potential subversives and as we would call them today...anti-German, anti-American and terrorists. FINALLY you know the REAL reason why Hitler hated them so much and why many of them wound up in death camps (even innocent ones including children.) Hitler's fear was like that of many other countries that have ideological clashes with various groups and minorities. "Little Rattlesnakes Grow Up To Be Big Rattlesnakes." That expression is an old anti-black expression but fits the sentiments of various cultures and political structures years ago and presently. It still does today in the Middle East and places like Turkey where the Kurds are so hated by most of the Turks because of groups like the PPK. Almost 40,000 people have been killed because of the Kurdish Terrorist Separatists. No one group has a historical halo, especially the Jews. And yes, one of my dearest friends is Jewish. I do not advocate hatred of any group (except my older brother, his second wife and her adult children by a previous marriage.) Ironically, it is my own blood that I can't stand. I have tolerance and patience with every other group of people...except most law enforcement. They are a whole other problem (for the very most part.) The truth is the truth and I am not Mel Gibson. Were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg innocent...I doubt it....but still feel very bad for their children.

[Return to Top]