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Alleged al Qaeda link shocks soldier's neighbors

Army specialist arrested in sting targeting terrorist group

Spc. Ryan G. Anderson is shown in this photo from 1998.
Spc. Ryan G. Anderson is shown in this photo from 1998.

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SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- Neighbors of the National Guard soldier who was detained in Washington on suspicion of aiding al Qaeda expressed surprise Friday.

Jack Roberts, who lives in the same apartment complex in Fort Lewis with Spc. Ryan G. Anderson, a 26-year-old tank crew member from the National Guard's 81st Armor Brigade, said his neighbor is a "nice guy."

Roberts said he watched Thursday as the FBI carried computers, guns and cell phones from Anderson's apartment.

Roberts described Anderson as a gun enthusiast who had proudly shown him his AK-47 assault rifle and as a man who used to join others in the apartment complex on occasional trips to a nearby shooting range.

Neighbors of Anderson's parents said the Andersons are religious and lead quiet lives in the suburbs of Seattle. They expressed shock that he had been taken into custody.

"They wash the car like we do, they fly the flag, they visit with the neighbors. There was nothing that made them stand out," neighbor Tom Warren said.

A Muslim leader in Seattle, Aziz Junejo, said he had had e-mail contact with Anderson, a convert to Islam who had entered the Islamic community's e-mail chat room.

Anderson identified himself as a marksman and was trying to solicit other Muslims in the group to join a gun club, Junejo said.

"This is completely against the norms of what we think is correct or right," Junejo said.

He added that, after five or six such messages, the leaders of the group told Anderson that his requests were inappropriate for a peaceful religion and told him to stop sending them.

Anderson's unit, the 81st Armor Brigade, was honored in a deployment ceremony Saturday.
Anderson's unit, the 81st Armor Brigade, was honored in a deployment ceremony Saturday.

Anderson stopped, but apparently then approached people at a Seattle mosque with similar requests, Junejo said.

Anderson was taken into custody Thursday without incident on suspicion of aiding the enemy by passing secret information about military capabilities to al Qaeda, military officials said.

Military and federal law enforcement officials captured him as part of a sting operation involving the Justice Department and FBI.

Anderson was being held at a correctional facility at Fort Lewis pending criminal charges, Army spokesman Stephen Barger said.

He said it could be four or five days before charges are filed.

Anderson's unit had been mobilized and was preparing for deployment to Iraq.

According to Pentagon officials, Anderson was the only target of the sting, which allegedly involved passing sensitive information about capabilities and vulnerabilities of armored Humvees and tanks, both of which are used by Anderson's brigade.

Sources said Anderson was caught in the sting while trying to communicate to al Qaeda in an Internet chat room. It is not believed he made contact with al Qaeda members, the sources said.

CNN's Katharine Barrett contributed to this story.


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