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Court documents said Naser Almadaoji, an Iraqi-born US citizen, was arrested on Wednesday at an airport in Columbus, Ohio, following a statement by the United States. join an ISIS group.
The announcement noted that "attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison."
Reached for comment by CNN, an attorney listed for Almadaoji said to be "prohibited from the local rules for the Ohio's Southern District."
"At this stage, I can only say that my client is a 19 year old citizen of the United States who is presumed by our law to be innocent of this charge, and that we intend to vigorously defend his case," said James Fleisher. in an email.
According to an affidavit, Almadaoji traveled to Egypt and Jordan in February 2018 and he later told ISIS. He spoke with two FBI sources to his supporters starting in August, and he eventually felt one of them pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, the document said.
He eventually puts on an FBI undercover employee and discussed an ISIS affiliate. The undercover employee eventually told Almadaoji about a credit-card scheme that could get them the funds, and the documents said records showed Almadaoji got tickets for an October 24 flight from Ohio to Washington and then Frankfurt, Germany, with a final destination in Astana, Kazakstan. He had previously discussed being smuggled into Afghanistan where he could meet an ISIS group.
But on Wednesday, the affidavit said, "After Almadaoji got his boarding pass and walked towards TSA security, law-enforcement officers arrested him."
