Background
Anderson was born and raised in Everett, Washington. He attended Cascade High School. He then attended Washington State University and majored in history, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002. Anderson was married on April 5, 2004 to Erin Wheatley. They met while both attending Washington State University. Erin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, also in 2002. She then moved to Kansas to be closer to her incarcerated husband, attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2007 to 2009 and graduated with a Master's in counseling and guidance. She was recently admitted to Washburn University Graduate School of Social Work.
In 1999, Anderson converted to Islam and adopted the name Amir Abdul Rashid. Prior to his capture, Anderson was seen on a surveillance tape, when he said the following: "I wish to desert from the U.S. Army. I wish to defect from the United States. I wish to join al-Qaeda, train its members and conduct terrorist attacks."
Read more about this topic: Ryan G. Anderson
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