Former U.S. sailor indicted on terrorism charges

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted a former U.S. Navy sailor on charges of spying and providing material support to terrorists in a case going back six years, authorities said on Wednesday.

Hassan Abujihaad, 31, formerly known as Paul Hall, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the U.S. attorney's office in the state said in a statement.

Police arrested Abujihaad in Phoenix this month. He is suspected of providing classified information to a London-based organization called Azzam Publications and knowing that it was to be used in a conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens.

If convicted on both charges, Abujihaad faces up to 25 years in jail.

Documents previously filed to the court allege that Azzam was part of a conspiracy to provide material support and communications links to people engaged in terrorism.

The charges are related to disclosure of a U.S. Navy battle group's movements as it traveled from California to the Gulf in 2001, the government says.

The suspected disclosures occurred months after suicide bombers attacked the USS Cole during a refueling stop in Yemen in October 2000, killing 17 sailors and injuring dozens more.

The charges were brought in Connecticut because the Azzam Publications Web sites were hosted for a time on servers in the state.

The government says Abujihaad sent e-mails to members of Azzam while he was on active duty in the Middle East and stationed aboard the USS Benfold, a ship in the battle group whose movements were disclosed.