U.S. Air Force Vet Accused of Attempting to Join Islamic State

A U.S. Air Force veteran was indicted this week on charges that he allegedly tried to join the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria.

47-year-old Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York City this week on charges that he tried to offer support to the Islamic State and obstructed justice.

Pugh is accused of attempting to travel from Egypt to Turkey, where he would have crossed the border into Syria to join the Islamic State had he not been stopped before Egyptian authorities deported him back to the United States.

"As alleged, Pugh, an American citizen, was willing to travel overseas and fight jihad alongside terrorists seeking to do us harm," Assistant Director of the FBI's New York City office Diego Rodriguez said in a statement.

Pugh, who worked as an Air Force mechanic in the early 1990's, is reportedly set to plead not guilty to the charges. When the suspect was arrested in Asbury Park, New Jersey in January, he reportedly told authorities that he was simply trying to travel through Turkey as a tourist and had no interest in joining the Islamic State.

Federal investigators claim in the court documents that they searched Pugh's computer and other electronic devices and found the suspect had searched for multiple videos and information regarding the Islamic State, including viewing the beheading videos released by the terrorist group in recent months.

Pugh has reportedly been charged with attempting to obstruct justice after investigators discovered thumb drives that had been wiped clean.