SEATTLE, Feb 13: A US National Guardsman in Washington state has been charged with trying to pass military secrets to the Al Qaeda network after being caught in a sting operation, military officials said on Thursday.

Army Spc. Ryan Anderson, a tank crewman, was slated for deployment to Iraq this summer from Fort Lewis, near Tacoma, Washington, where his unit is based. Officials have said Al Qaeda was involved in some attacks on US forces in Iraq.

Ryan Anderson was arrested on Thursday for "aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to give information to the Al Qaeda terrorist network," according to Lt Col Stephen Barger, a spokesman. Col Barger said Ryan Anderson would be held at Fort Lewis and that more information would likely be released in four or five days.

Local media said the soldier was 26 and a converted Muslim who grew up in Everett, Washington, and graduated from Washington State University in 2002. -Reuters