At court-martial, experts debate value of data

By Ray Rivera
Seattle Times staff reporter

Ryan Anderson is accused of trying to aid al-Qaida.

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The sessions were closed to prevent the release of sensitive information, some of it classified, that could endanger soldiers.

Prosecutors contend that among the information Anderson gave was the exact size of round needed to penetrate bulletproof windows on Humvees that were equipped with added armor.

Rene Gonzales, the Army's top expert on vehicle survivability in combat zones, was called in to testify for the prosecution, presumably on that subject, though his testimony was closed to the public and media.

In one of a few open sessions, John Rowe, an Army tank expert, testified that Anderson told undercover Army intelligence agents several ways of disabling an M1 Abrams tank and killing its crew. Anderson, 27, was a tank crew member with the Washington National Guard's 81st Armored Brigade, now in Iraq.

Using a model of an M1 tank to illustrate, Rowe said information shared by Anderson could reduce the tanks' firing effectiveness by 60 percent.

Anderson is charged with five counts of attempting to give intelligence and aid to the al-Qaida terrorist network, for which he could spend life in prison if found guilty. The trial, which began Monday, is expected to last five days.

Anderson's lawyer, Maj. Joseph Morse, tried to emphasize on several occasions that the information was unclassified and openly available on Department of Defense Web sites.

But Christopher Wallace, a senior military-intelligence analyst and al-Qaida expert, testified for the prosecution that the information would be valuable to the terrorist network. In cross-examination from Morse, Wallace acknowledged that al-Qaida had compiled much information on U.S. vulnerabilities, including ways of ambushing tanks. Some of that information had made its way into al-Qaida training manuals.

But Wallace countered that many al-Qaida training camps have been wiped out in the war on terror, their trainers killed or captured and their manuals destroyed. Plus, the information Anderson provided would help terrorists know whether the information available to them on U.S. Web sites was true.

"It's corroboration, a direct source, a U.S. soldier," he said. "Information posted on Web sites is not always credible."
 
The jury, made up of nine commissioned officers, also saw an hourlong videotape secretly recorded on Feb. 9 as Anderson gave the information, including sketches of tanks and Strykers, to undercover agents in a covered garage at Seattle Center.

Anderson grew up in Everett and received a history degree from Washington State University before joining the National Guard. He converted to Islam while in college.

Members of his family, including his wife, Erin, were in the crowded courtroom yesterday at Fort Lewis as Anderson sat taking notes on a legal pad. He is not expected to testify on his behalf.

The defense is expected to begin its case later this week. Anderson's lawyers will attempt to show that Anderson frequently lied, exaggerated and liked to pretend he was somebody he wasn't, but that he did not have criminal intent.

In earlier testimony, investigators acknowledged that Anderson had reported meeting with the supposed al-Qaida members to his National Guard squad leader the day before his arrest.

Anderson was arrested Feb. 12 at Fort Lewis, where his unit was undergoing training for a yearlong deployment to Iraq.

Ray Rivera: 206-464-2926