quote:

(CNN) -- A National Guard soldier at Fort Lewis, Washington, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of trying to pass information about military capabilities to al Qaeda through an Internet chat room, U.S. military officials said. Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, 26, a tank crew member from the National Guard's 81st Armor Brigade, was taken into custody without incident at Fort Lewis by military and federal law enforcement officials, Army spokesman Stephen Barger said. The arrest was made as part of a joint sting operation involving the FBI and Justice Department. Anderson will be charged with "aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the al Qaeda terrorist network," Barger said. He is being held at a correctional facility at Fort Lewis, and it could be four or five days before charges are formally filed, Barger said. Officials said the information included the capabilities and vulnerabilities of armored Humvees and tanks, both of which are used in the brigade. Anderson allegedly offered to pass the information to al Qaeda agents through an Internet chat room, Pentagon officials said. But it is not believed he made contact with al Qaeda members, the sources said. Law enforcement personnel were monitoring the chat room looking for people who might try to give up information, and Anderson allegedly tried to offer some to al Qaeda, according to sources. Anderson's unit, the 81st Armor Brigade, was honored in a deployment ceremony Saturday. The brigade is preparing to deploy for final training in California before it departs for a tour of duty in Iraq. When asked if Anderson is a Muslim, Barger said, "Religious preferences are an individual right and responsibility, and I really can't get into it." Sources said Anderson converted to Islam several years ago. Local media outlets reported Anderson was a 2002 Washington State University graduate, where he studied military history with an emphasis on the Middle East.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/02/13/na...rest/index.html

What the hell!