US soldier 'tried to pass secrets to al-Qaida'
A National Guardsman betrayed his country and fellow soldiers when he tried to pass military information to undercover agents he believed were al-Qaida terrorists, prosecutors said at the start of his court-martial.
Specialist Ryan Anderson, 27, could get life in prison without parole if convicted.
Anderson, a Muslim convert, pleaded innocent to five counts of trying to provide the al-Qaida terrorist network with information about US troop strength and tactics, and methods for killing American soldiers.
“This is a case about betrayal – betrayal of our country, betrayal of our Army, betrayal of his fellow soldiers,” Major Melvin Jenks said in his opening statement in Fort Lewis, Washington.
Anderson’s lawyer, Major Joseph Morse, argued the government had no proof the 27-year-old tank crewman had criminal intent when he contacted people he thought were members of al-Qaida.
He said Anderson “likes to pretend he’s something he’s not,” often embellishing the truth or lying to impress people.
“Evidence will show someone who isn’t a very good soldier ... isn’t a very good Muslim,” Morse said.
Undercover investigators met with Anderson at a car park near the Space Needle in Seattle, where an hour-long discussion was secretly recorded on February 9, just days before Anderson was to leave for Iraq with his unit, the Washington National Guard’s 81st Armored Brigade.
On the video, Anderson offers sketches and information about weaknesses in the M1A1 Abrams, the Army’s primary battle tank, authorities said. He was arrested at Fort Lewis three days after the meeting.
Captain Jay Stephenson, a spokesman for the military prosecutors, said the charges against Anderson amount to attempted treason.
“We’re at war now,” Stephenson said. “This is a big thing. This is a very serious and grievous offence.”
The trial at Fort Lewis, an Army base south of Seattle, is expected to last five days.
