Tributes have been paid to a young father who died after being found badly injured lying behind a shopping centre.

A National Guardsman betrayed his country and fellow soldiers when he tried to pass military information to undercover agents he believed were al-Qaida terrorists, prosecutors said at the start of his court-martial.

A US National Guardsman accused of attempting to pass military intelligence to the al-Qaida terrorist network has been formally charged, an Army spokesman said.

AN American soldier about to leave for Iraq tried to contact al-Qaida terrorists through the internet, offering the group information on US military capabilities and weaponry, defence officials said yesterday.

A National Guardsman is facing charges of attempting to give information to the al-Qaida network.