Former US soldier accused of being in al-Qaida cell

Six people, including a former US army reservist, have been charged with trying to travel to Afghanistan to join forces with al-Qaida and the Taliban.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft called it a "defining day" in the fight against terrorism.

Mr Ashcroft says one of the men, Jeffrey Leon Battle, joined the US Army Reserves to obtain training in US tactics and weapons.

He says Battle, who obtained an administrative discharge in January 2002 while in Bangladesh, intended to use his experience against US soldiers in Afghanistan.

Mr Ashcroft claims the arrests represented "a textbook example" of co-operation among federal, state and local authorities in the war against terrorism.

Court papers identified the six as Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford, Ahmed Ibrahim Bilal, Muhammad Ibrahim Bilal, Habis Abdullah al Saoub and October Martinique Lewis.

Mr Ashcroft says some of the men began travelling to Afghanistan in October last year to fight with Taliban troops against US forces.

A federal grand jury indicted the men on charges of conspiracy to levy war against the US, conspiracy to provide material support and resources to al-Qaida, conspiracy to contribute services to al-Qaida and the Taliban and possessing firearms in furtherance of crimes of violence.