A former U.S. Air Force veteran was arrested by the FBI for allegedly trying to join ISIS, the murderous Islamist terror that beheads people and commits inhuman atrocities, after being swayed by the group's online propaganda videos.
Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, 47, of New Jersey was secretly arrested in Asbury Park, New Jersey on January 16 after being deported back to the United States.
Pugh was indicted by a grand jury on charges of trying to give material support to the terror group and obstruction of justice, said the U.S. Justice Department. He will be arraigned March 18 in a federal court in New York. If convicted, Pugh faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.
Pugh will plead not guilty, said his attorney, Michael Schneider. Pugh converted to Islam in 1998
Investigators discovered on Pugh's laptop recent Internet searches for information on "borders controlled by Islamic state," and a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria where ISIS controls territory.
In a letter to his wife, Misha, Pugh wrote "I am a (Mujahedeen). I am a sword against the oppressor and a shield for the oppressed. I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States. There is only two possible outcomes for me. Victory or martyr".
American authorities also found some 180 jihadist propaganda videos, one of which showed ISIS murdering prisoners.
Pugh was arrested upon his return to the United States, said CNN. He was an avionics instrument system specialist in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990
Pugh had been living in Egypt, Dubai and Jordan for the past year and a half, according to U.S. investigators. After being fired from his last job at an airline company in the Middle East, Pugh decided to join ISIS.
He flew from Egypt to Turkey on January 10 with the intent of crossing the Turkish border into Syria and then joining ISIS, said U.S. authorities. Turkey, however, denied him entry, suspicious Pugh was headed for Syria. Turkey sent Pugh on a return flight to Egypt where he was arrested and later deported to the U.S.
"Pugh, an American citizen and former member of our military, allegedly abandoned his allegiance to the United States and sought to provide material support to ISIL," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General John Carlin. ISIL is another term for ISIS.
U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said Tuesday the U.S. will continue to vigorously prosecute extremists, whether based here or abroad, to stop them before they are able to threaten the United States and its allies.
The Department of Justice has charged 20 people over the past year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside militants like ISIS.