American terrorist faces charges   

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Shorn of his long hair and beard, John Walker Lindh quietly faced his government's charges yesterday that he conspired to kill fellow Americans in Afghanistan.

"Yes, I do, thank you," he answered when asked at his first court appearance if he grasped the accusations that he conspired to kill Americans abroad and aided terrorist groups.

His lawyers, in a signal of the defense they will pursue, strongly criticized the FBI's questioning of the 20-year-old shortly after his capture in Afghanistan.

Lindh "asked for a lawyer, repeatedly asked for a lawyer," from Dec. 2 on, his lead attorney, James Brosnahan, said outside the courthouse.

The government countered that Lindh had made his own decision to waive his right to an attorney before that questioning - and to join the Taliban and support Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist organization.

"John Walker chose to join terrorists who wanted to kill Americans, and he chose to waive his right to an attorney, both orally and in writing, before he was questioned by the FBI," Attorney General John Ashcroft said at a news conference.

"Mr. Walker will be held responsible in the courtroom for his choices," the attorney general said.

With his parents watching from the second row in a federal courtroom, Lindh stood erect facing the judge when he was addressed. He wore a green jumpsuit with the word "prisoner" on the back, and spoke three times.