The FBI arrested a U.S. teenager Saturday night at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport as he was preparing to leave the country to go join extremists in the Islamic State, the law enforcement agency disclosed Monday.
Mohammed Hamzah Khan, 19, planned to travel to Austria and then to Turkey, where he would try to join hundreds of foreigners who have crossed over that nation’s border with Syria in order to join the terrorist group commonly known by the acronyms ISIS or ISIL, according to information from the FBI.
Mr. Khan is set to appear in court Thursday and is facing charges of attempting to provide material support to terrorist organizations. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
Agents searched the teen’s home and “recovered multiple handwritten documents that appeared to be drafted by Khan and/or others, which expressed support for ISIL.”
Included in the documents were a notebook with drawings of the black flag commonly used by Islamic State militants and a page where someone had written “Islamic State in Iraq and Levant. Here to stay. We are the lions of the war … My nation, the dawn has emerged.”
Law enforcement officials did not disclose whether they believe other individuals are involved in helping Mr. Khan or planning to travel themselves, or whether Mr. Khan’s parents and siblings were involved in any way.
Mr. Khan had bought a round-trip ticket that would return him to the U.S. about a week after his departure, but when interviewed by FBI agents, said he planned to stay with the Islamic State, knowing that he would likely be arrested upon his return.
• Phillip Swarts can be reached at pswarts@washingtontimes.com.
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