The Associated Press reports that American al-Qaida spokesman Adam Yahiye Gadahn (photo) (also known as "Azzam the American") — a U.S. citizen from Southern California who wrote in a web posting that he was obsessed for a time with "demonic heavy metal music" before moving to Orange County and discovering the Islamic faith — was indicted Wednesday on the first treason charge filed in more than 50 years.

Adam Yehiye Gadahn, 28 — who is believed to be in or near Pakistan — could be sentenced to death if convicted of the charge. He also was indicted on a charge of providing material support to terrorists.

Treason has only been brought a few dozen times in U.S. history and not at all since the World War II era.

Gadahn "knowingly adhered to an enemy of the United States, namely, al-Qaida, and gave al-Qaida aid and comfort ... with intent to betray the United States," according to the indictment, handed up by an Orange County grand jury.

The suspected al-Qaida operative has been sought by the FBI since 2004. Based on the indictment, the FBI added Gadahn to its list of most wanted terrorists, and the State Department offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture.

"The charge of treason is exceptionally severe and it is not one that we bring lightly," Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty told reporters in Washington. "But this is the right case for this charge."

Treason "is not a crime only against the American people, but against America itself," McNulty said.

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