CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A brief court hearing Tuesday for a Utah Marine charged with theft and desertion revealed that Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun was involved with an undercover intelligence operation in Iraq because of his ability to speak Arabic.

The new information raises even more questions about the circumstances surrounding Hassoun's June 19 disappearance from a Marine camp outside Fallujah and raises concerns by Marine Corps officials about revealing the nature of the intelligence operation.

On this Marine base, carved into a forest of tall Carolina pines, Hassoun entered the courtroom wearing military-issue fatigues and accompanied by his appointed military defense attorneys. Called an Article 32 hearing, the purpose is to allow investigating officer Col. David Wunder to review the evidence against Hassoun and determine if the case should be sent to a court-martial or lesser remedy.

The hearing was cut short after Hassoun officially requested time to hire a civilian attorney. Hassoun asked Wunder if his military defense attorneys — senior Camp LeJeune defense counsel Maj. Phil Stackhouse and assistant defense counsel Capt. Brandon Bolling — could stay on to assist his case.

Hassoun said little beyond "yes sir" during the hearing. He did acknowledge he has received a copy of the charges: one count of desertion, one count of larceny and two counts of theft. None of Hassoun's family members attended the meeting, which lasted less than 30 minutes.

Wunder continued what is expected to be a three-day hearing until next month.

Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Matthew Morgan said although Hassoun's main duty in Iraq was to drive trucks, the Lebanon native's language skills were needed to help intelligence operatives.

Many of the prosecution witnesses appear to be involved in what are called Human Exploitation Teams. Morgan said team members don civilian clothes, change their appearance and are sent out among the civilian population, in this case among Iraqis, to gather intelligence.

Hassoun's association with the team "opens up some interesting defense possibilities," said Alain Balmanno, an assistant Utah attorney general and retired judge advocate general who taught military law at West Point.

One possibility, he said, is that Hassoun's cover might have been blown, forcing him to ditch his gear and flee. It also could dovetail into his assertion that he was abducted.

"All of a sudden he's no longer a deserter but he's actually trying to protect his life," Balmanno said, adding such a scenario could remove the element of intent.

"At this point it's pure speculation, but it certainly could lead to reasonable doubt."