WASHINGTON AND PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — An American Muslim convert from Long Island, N.Y., who was captured while fighting for Al Qaeda in Pakistan is now cooperating with authorities, opening a rare window into the world of Western militants in the network's hide-outs, U.S. and European anti-terrorism officials said.
Bryant Neal Vinas, 26, is one of the few Americans known to have made the trek to Al Qaeda's secret Pakistani compounds, the officials said.
Vinas has admitted to meeting Al Qaeda chiefs and giving them information for a potential attack on New York commuter trains, conversations that resulted in a public alert in November, said the officials, who requested anonymity because the case was ongoing.
Vinas told investigators he fired rockets during a militant attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, the officials said.
He was captured by Pakistanis in November and is in custody in the U.S. He pleaded guilty in January to charges including conspiracy to commit murder for firing on U.S. troops and providing material support to a terrorist organization.
An indictment was unsealed Wednesday after repeated queries about Vinas from Los Angeles Times reporters in Washington. Until then, the case had been a closely guarded secret at the heart of investigations in at least seven countries.
"It is a massive case," said a Justice Department official.
The U.S.-born son of immigrants from Peru and Argentina, Vinas was raised a Catholic and played baseball in working-class suburbs, where Elks Lodges mixed with taquerias.
His transformation into a fighter nicknamed Bashir el Ameriki (Bashir the American) underscored fears that other Americans had followed the same route. Their ability to train overseas and return below the radar concerns authorities.
"His background is clearly unusual," said a senior European official. "I am not aware of other Americans who went with him or who have trained recently in [Pakistan]. . . . He stands out. A Latino American is an unusual profile."
Since his capture, Vinas has been talkative and cooperative, providing a detailed account of his sojourn and testimony for upcoming terrorism trials in Europe, the officials said.
In March, he gave a statement in New York to a magistrate and police from Belgium that will be used as evidence against three jailed Belgians who admitted to training with Al Qaeda. He also has been questioned by French investigators.
