Accused U.S. Guardsman a Vocal Gun Proponent
SEATTLE (Reuters) - A U.S. National Guardsman accused of trying to help Islamic militant al Qaeda forces is a staunch gun advocate and was once arrested for approaching a school toting a rifle and a bayonet, local officials said on Friday.
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The guy is a total wacko, he thinks we are bigots and racists and hateful so he turns to a group of murderers instead!
Ryan Anderson, a tank crew member arrested on Thursday as his unit prepared to ship out to Iraq, broke no laws, but drew a swarm of police as he strode toward an Everett, Washington, elementary school in May 1998 on a break from his studies at Washington State University.
A day earlier, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel shot 25 fellow students, killing two, along with his parents in Springfield, Oregon.
"It looked very bad for somebody to be walking toward a school with a weapon, plus a military knife, dressed in a black trench coat and boots. We were concerned that he was going to go into that school," said Jan Jorgensen, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff.
Anderson told deputies he was going to visit a friend's house and was released, Jorgensen said.
After a recent sting operation, Anderson was arrested at his home in Lynnwood, Washington, on suspicion of trying to pass military secrets to al Qaeda. He is now in a military prison at Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, where his Guard unit is based.
U.S. officials have blamed al Qaeda for the Sept. 11, 2001, hijack attacks on U.S. cities and for attacking other American facilities around the world, as well as some recent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
In response to a barrage of media inquiries, Anderson's family on Friday released a statement to local media saying they were "stunned" and asked for privacy while the military and civilian prosecution unfolds.
In several letters between 1999 and 2002 to his hometown paper, the Everett Herald, Anderson discussed his conversion to Islam and his strong support of gun ownership, saying he would rather die than have his freedoms taken away.
"If you don't support that, get the heck out of my country and go somewhere that suits your tastes better," Anderson wrote in one letter.
Muslims, he wrote, were "hurting," but uniformly kind, patient, courteous, and understanding. "On the other hand, I have experienced bigotry, hatred and mindless rage from so-called 'educated thinkers' here in the U.S."
He had joined the military out of strong feelings of patriotism and to fight for his country, its ideals and its "unabridged Constitution," Anderson wrote.
Anderson worried other local Muslims with his fiery rhetoric and repeated offers to teach them to use guns, local media reported.
By The Associated Press
EVERETT — Text of the written statement from the parents of Spc. Ryan Anderson, a National Guardsman from Lynnwood who is accused of aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the al-Qaida terrorist network:
"The family is stunned by the arrest and detention at Ft. Lewis of our son and husband, Specialist Ryan G. Anderson, by federal authorities. We have no intention of initiating a dialogue with the media to discuss the matter and ask that you respect our wishes to not be a part of any news story. We have been in contact with Ryan's appointed military counsel and will rely upon his office for all information regarding subsequent legal proceedings.
"As American citizens we will place our faith and trust in the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to provide Ryan a fair trial before rendering any decision.
"We want to recognize the many friends who have called us to express their support of Ryan and our family. Our heartfelt thank you to each of you.
"Friends of Ryan can send cards or letters of support to our home address and they will be delivered to him at Ft. Lewis."
This is beyond belief. And this guy makes it into the military. We've got some house-cleaning to do.