Tuesday January 15 2:49 PM ET

Feds to Charge American Taliban
By KAREN GULLO, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush has approved allowing the Justice Department to charge American Taliban John Walker Lindh in civilian court on charges of aiding terrorism, government sources said Tuesday.

Lindh, 20, was captured in November fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was taken into custody by U.S. forces after a prison uprising at a fortress in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Lindh since then has been held on the amphibious attack ship USS Bataan in the Arabian Sea.

A baptized Roman Catholic who converted to Islam at 16, Lindh sent a letter to his parents in December saying he was safe and regretted not contacting them sooner. He apparently dictated the letter, dated Dec. 3, to an International Red Cross volunteer.

Among the factors Bush had to consider in determining how Lindh would be handled was whether he would be tried in a U.S. civilian court or military tribunal.

The Justice Department had said possible charges against Lindh could include treason, which carries the death penalty. Such a charge was considered difficult because of the technical requirements of proving the charge. They include the need for two witnesses to each act of treason, which may be hard to find in Afghanistan.