Posted on 09/01/2004 1:57:36 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- A National Guardsman accused of trying to help the al-Qaida terrorist network suffers from bipolar disorder and other mental-health conditions, a civilian psychologist from Madigan Army Medical Center testified Wednesday.
"He has been an outsider, a social misfit, most of his life," psychologist Jack Norris said of defendant Spc. Ryan G. Anderson.
Norris said he began evaluating Anderson in mid-July, eventually diagnosing him with bipolar disorder, the condition formerly called manic depression.
Anderson also had features of two other disorders, narcissism, or egocentrism, and schizotypal, symptoms of which include social discomfort and eccentric behavior, Norris said.
He said he found Anderson has always been socially awkward.
Prosecutors contend Anderson jeopardized the safety of his fellow soldiers by providing men he thought were al-Qaida agents with information on the Army's main battle tank, as well as other military information.
He was actually meeting with federal undercover agents.
Anderson, a Muslim convert, is charged with five counts of trying to provide al-Qaida with information about U.S. troop strength and tactics, as well as methods for killing American soldiers. A military spokesman has said the charges amount to attempted treason.
The trial, which started Monday, is to conclude Friday.
Conviction requires agreement by two-thirds of the jury of nine commissioned officers. Anderson could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The 27-year-old tank crewman with the Washington National Guard's 81st Armor Brigade is accused of trying to give terrorists sketches and other information on the M1A1 Abrams, the Army's primary battle tank. His unit is now in Iraq.
Prosecutors on Tuesday showed the jury a videotape of Anderson's Feb. 9 meeting with the undercover agents.
"I have no belief in what the American Army asked me to do," Anderson said on the video. "They sent me to die."
Anderson was shown revealing drawings of the Abrams and identifying the crew compartment, main gun and other components he described as vulnerable.
During certain segments, the audio was muted and a gray blur obstructed Anderson's mouth to block what he was saying.
Al-Qaida expert Christopher Wallace testified that the details Anderson shared would have been helpful to terrorists, but acknowledged during cross-examination that the information also could be found on the Internet.
Some testimony offered Tuesday was considered sensitive or classified and the session was intermittently closed to reporters.
Abrams tank expert John Rowe confirmed Anderson's contention that a tank's hull could be weakened by damaging panels on either side of the tank.
He also affirmed that the driver's windows could be shattered, leaving the driver vulnerable. The driver would then have to stand in the open hatch to see properly, said Rowe, a survivability engineer.
The judge cleared the courtroom for more than an hour of Rowe's testimony because it involved classified information.
Rene Gonzalez, an expert on military vehicles and the protection they offer, said his primary focus is Humvee and heavy-equipment transport vehicles.
After he outlined his background for 15 minutes, the judge closed the courtroom for a 45-minute closed session with him.
Gonzalez' testimony was considered sensitive because it concerned soldiers' safety, said Capt. Jay Stephenson, a spokesman with the Judge Advocate General's office.
Anderson, a Washington State University graduate, was raised Lutheran but began studying Islam while attending college. He's been described by high school classmates in Everett as a paramilitary enthusiast who was passionate about guns.
He was arrested Feb. 12 at this post south of Seattle.
too bad - shoot the bastard and be doen with these traitors.
That is all they deserve.
I like your solution a lot better then any I have heard.
Thats funny he was so sure of himself on AR15 for many months he argued with anyone and everyone claiming that 'Islam is a religion of peace'...
Now that view is considered a mental disorder?
Interesting.....
Hmmm. I didn't realize WSU was an Islam indoctrination center. Another example of our tax dollars at work.
This guy was a nut. Maybe not legally in a way to get him out of prison, but I read some of his stuff on ar15.com and I think I new someone like him in H.S..
I would be able to believe that he thought he was a super secret undercove Islamic brother trying to catch terrorists.
No, they do not. They amount to straight-out TREASON.
This Islamic-Fascist sympathizer didn't just give our enemies moral or propaganda support: while actively serving in the US military, he attempted to pass classified tactical information that would have directly cost the lives of many other US soldiers, as well as jeopardized our national security.
Why is he not being charged with treason? Why is he not facing execution? He doesn't even have any enemy information to trade for his life, nor is he pleading guilty to take the death penalty off the table (btw, with a case as strong as this, I wouldn't have given him that deal anyway). He is of no value to us other than as a corpse.
With apologies to Former Military Chick, this is the result of Bill Clinton's emasculation and "effeminization" of the US military. This is as "open & shut" as a case of treason can get, yet the military is not prosecuting it as such. Unbelievable!
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