Soldier charged with trying to aid al Qaeda
Alleged message to al Qaeda: 'I share your cause'
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A National Guard soldier stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, was formally charged Wednesday with attempting to aid al Qaeda after he was caught in a sting operation involving the military, FBI and Justice Department.
According to a charge sheet released by the military, Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, a 26-year-old tank crew member from the National Guard's 81st Armor Brigade, was charged with four counts of attempting to give intelligence to the enemy by passing information to people he believed were part of al Qaeda.
The charge sheet said Anderson, who also went by the name of Amir Abdul Rashid, communicated with U.S. military personnel posing as members of al Qaeda. The charge sheet paraphrased Anderson's message to the supposed al Qaeda members as "I wish to meet with you, I share your cause."
Sources said Anderson, who is Muslim, was caught in a sting operation in which he was trying to communicate with al Qaeda in an Internet chat room. But it is not believed he actually made contact with al Qaeda members, they said.
According to the sources, law enforcement personnel were monitoring the chat room looking for people who might try to give up information, and came across Anderson allegedly trying to offer information to al Qaeda.
Anderson's unit was mobilized as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was preparing for deployment to Iraq.
The charge sheet said Anderson knowingly gave intelligence to the enemy by disclosing information about "U.S. Army troop strength, movements, equipment, tactics and weapons systems" to the members of the sting operation.
Anderson is also accused of attempting to pass information on how to kill Army personnel and where to find vulnerabilities in Army weapon systems, as well as drawings of M1A1 and M1A2 tanks and a computer disk containing his passport photo and military identification.
The Uniform Military Code states that anyone convicted of aiding an enemy could face a death sentence.
The charges were based on alleged conduct that occurred between January 22 and February 11, according to Army spokesman Lt. Col. Stephen Barger.
Anderson was taken into custody February 12 without incident at Fort Lewis by military and federal agents, Barger said. He went before a magistrate who determined that pre-trial confinement was warranted.
"Spc. Anderson has spoken with his family and he has been appointed a military defense attorney," Barger said, adding Anderson has met with the lawyer.