Army Reservist Held as Alleged Spy for Al Qaeda
An Army reservist was arrested after he allegedly tried to contact Al Qaeda cells through Internet chat rooms to offer intelligence on his unit, which is about to deploy to Iraq, defense officials said Thursday.
Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, a 26-year-old M-1 tank crew member with the 81st Armor Brigade in Fort Lewis, Wash., was apparently motivated by “ideology” rather than money when he allegedly tried to contact Osama bin Laden’s organization to offer information on his unit’s capabilities, weapons and movements, defense officials said.
An Army official said that Anderson told investigators that he converted to Islam five years ago.
As part of the investigation of Anderson, Army and FBI investigators posed as Al Qaeda agents, a senior military official said. Anderson is being held in pretrial confinement at the Fort Lewis Regional Correction Facility on charges of “aiding the enemy,” Army officials said.
Anderson is a 2002 Washington State University graduate with a degree in military history and an emphasis on the Middle East, an Army official said.
His 4,200-member brigade is preparing to deploy in March to the Persian Gulf, and its deployment is not expected to be affected, an Army official said.
Army officials said the incident did not make closer scrutiny of Muslims in the military more likely.
“We’re trying to recruit Muslims,” a spokesman said. “We’re trying to recruit Arab linguists.”
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