Soldier held in al-Qaida probe tried to join militia group | Seattle P-I

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Saturday, February 14, 2004 · Last updated 12:45 p.m. PT

Soldier held in al-Qaida probe tried to join militia group

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EVERETT, Wash. -- A National Guardsman jailed for his alleged attempts to share military intelligence with the al-Qaida terrorist network apparently spent months trying to join a militia group in the mid-1990s.

In February 1996, Ryan G. Anderson complained he had been trying to sign up with a militia group without success for four months, The (Everett) Herald reported Saturday, citing a search of his e-mail account at Washington State University.

"All I want is a little information from a local area commander or something about joining up," he wrote. "I have three rifles. I can supply all my own equipment and ammo, and I have the time for weekend ops and whatnot."

At one point, he bemoaned the tepid response he received from the militia newsgroup: "For God's sake, I am not an ATF agent or ... trying to arrest anyone. ... I am a die-hard Christian, and I do believe in America, I believe a great deal of what I have been told the Militias are defending against, even if only idealogicaly (sic)."

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