Man charged with giving al Qaeda NY transit data

A subway train pulls into the Times Square station after service resumed in New York early December 23, 2005.

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 on Wednesday.

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.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates and oversees trains, buses, subways, bridges and tunnels, said it had been in constant communication with local and federal authorities as the investigation developed.

"There was never an imminent threat to the system," itsaid in a statement.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Joan Gralla; Editing by Eric Walsh)