An American man was charged with giving Al-Qaeda information about the New York transit system and attacking a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.Â Since his arrest, he has helped the U.S. in a secret fight against terror on both a domestic and international level.

The federal court unsealed papers that identified Bryant Neal Vinas as the defendant.Â He is a native of Long Island and in January, plead guilty in a sealed Brooklyn courtroom. Federal prosecutors refused to give out information about the case but said that Vinas had provided critical information that led to a security alert about the subway system last year.

The FBI had received a report that Al-Qaeda terrorists may have considered attacking the system during the holidays.Â The origin of that report was Vinas.Â Vinas was also held responsible for a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in September 2008.Â Vinas was arrested in Peshawar, Pakistan, in November.Â He had reportedly been in Pakistan for five months where he had received “military-style-training” from Al-Qaeda.

Thankfully in instances such as this, America has hard working individuals that keep America safe.Â Individuals interested in protecting America from threats, attacks, and reducing America’s vulnerability should start working on a degree today.Â There are degrees out there that provide students with the knowledge and skills required to work in this exciting and dangerous field of Homeland Security.