Tairod Pugh, a former Air Force veteran then radicalized, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for attempting to join ISIS. Other charges that were brought against him were trying to provide material support to the terror group as well as obstructing justice. Aged 49, Pugh resided in New Jersey and was found guilty back in 2006 by Acting U.S Attorney Bridget Rohde, who stated that the defendant turned his back on a military and country he once served, attempting to join a terror group that commits acts of violence on people around the world.
How Tairod was arrested
Pugh once attempted to enter Turkey from Egypt, back in 2015. He was however denied entry, and Turkish authorities returned him back to Egypt. Egyptian authorities then quickly deported him back to the United States on terrorism suspicions. While in the United States, Tairod was closely monitored by the FBI with the help of an undercover agent, he was later arrested in Asbury, New Jersey. Upon checking his desktop computer, investigators found a letter purportedly written by Tairod where he stated that he wanted to use talents and skills given to him by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States.
Investigators also found a chart showing border crossing points between Syria and Turkey where ISIS controls some territories. He was also found with solar powered chargers, a black mask, compasses, and clothes suitable for war. Tairod was a resent convert to Islam and served in the U.S Air Force from 1986 to 1990. While working for American Airlines back in 2001, one of Tairods co-workers told the FBI that he was a sympathizer of Osama and that 1998 U.S embassy bombings abroad were anti-American sentiments.
Other terrorist wannabes who have tried to join terrorist groups abroad
In April 27, the FBI arrested a 26-year-old by the name Laith Waleed at the Kentucky International Airport for trying to join ISIS.
Laith was a citizen of Jordan and has been a permanent resident of the U.S since April 2014. Laith was once arrested for gaining unlawful entry into the Turkish Embassy in Washington; he uttered the words you are going to regret this while being escorted out of the embassy.
In March 3rd of this year, a Long Island man was arrested by the FBI for trying to join ISIS is Syria. Investigators said that the man had previously attempted to join ISIS by traveling abroad twice before being stopped. He was stoped in Turkey and Jordan and was deported back to the United States. In one of his Facebook post, the man who was identified as Redzepagic had at one time posted on Facebook that he traveled to Turkey to perform Jihad and to join Jabhat Al-Nusra. The Jabhat Al-Nusra is a terrorist organization that is fighting the Syrian government in order to establish an Islamic state.