A US Army National Guardsman has been arrested in Fort Lewis, Washington, for trying to give information to Al Qaeda: Soldier accused of trying to aid al-Qaida. (Hat tip: NC.)

Spc. Ryan G. Anderson has been charged with “aiding the enemy by wrongfully attempting to communicate and give intelligence to the al-Qaida terrorist network,” U.S. officials told NBC News. The officials said that Anderson was caught up in a sting operation conducted jointly by the Army, the Justice Department and the FBI. Anderson, however, is currently being held and charged only by the Army. Anderson is a Muslim, officials said.

Anderson, a 26-year-old tank crewmember from the Army’s 81st National Guard Brigade, was among the 4,100 troops of the 81st Brigade on their way to Iraq for a one-year deployment.

According to a recent edition of the Everett Herald newspaper, Anderson is a 2002 graduate of Washington State University and graduated from Cascade High School in 1995. While at WSU he majored in military history with an emphasis on the Middle East. The article says Anderson converted to the Muslim faith five years ago.

What’s the difference between the behavior of people like this, and the behavior of cult members? At which mosque did Anderson receive his indoctrination?