Man charged with giving al Qaeda NY transit data

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A U.S. man has been charged  with giving al Qaeda details about the New York City transit  system and the Long Island Railroad, as well as firing rockets  at American troops in Afghanistan, according to court papers  unsealed yesterday.

Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, is also accused of receiving  military-type training between March and August last year from  the Islamist extremist group headed by Osama bin Laden.

Vinas provided al Qaeda with “expert advice and assistance,  including assistance derived from specialized knowledge of the  New York transit system and Long Island Railroad,  communications equipment and personnel, including himself,”  said the court papers, unsealed in New York federal court.

Vinas was being held by the FBI, officials said. They did  not say where he was.