NEW YORK
A U.S. air force veteran was charged Tuesday with trying to provide material support to Daesh in Syria, according to authorities.
Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York with attempting to join the militant group in January, weeks after being fired from his job as an airplane mechanic in the Middle East.
"Born and raised in the United States, Pugh allegedly turned his back on his country and attempted to travel to Syria in order to join a terrorist organization," said U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch. "We 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."
A Justice Department statement said Pugh traveled from Egypt to Turkey on Jan. 10 in an effort to cross the border into Syria to join Daesh.
He was denied entry into Turkey and placed on a return flight to Egypt, from where he was deported to the U.S.
"As alleged, Pugh, an American citizen, was willing to travel overseas and fight jihad alongside terrorists seeking to do us harm," said Diego Rodriguez, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office. "U.S. citizens who offer support to terrorist organizations pose a grave threat to our national security and will face serious consequences for their actions."
If convicted, Pugh, a New Jersey resident, faces up to 35 years in prison.
He previously served in the U.S. Air Force as an avionics instrument system specialist, the Department of Justice said.
