US Veteran Found Guilty of Trying to Join Islamic State
A U.S. Air Force veteran was found guilty of trying to join the Islamic State terror group, a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, determined this week.
A jury found 48-year-old Tairod Pugh guilty of attempting to provide support to a terrorist organization, as well as obstructing justice after six hours of deliberation on Wednesday.
Prosecutors argued during the week-long trial that Pugh had made contact with IS militants and viewed pro-jihad propaganda online before traveling to Turkey in January 2015 in an attempt to cross the Syrian border and join the terrorist organization.
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Pugh had previously worked as a airplane mechanic in the U.S. Air Force for four years before deciding to join the terror group.
"This case is about the the defendant, Tairod Pugh, who answered ISIS's call to arms to come to Syria and join them," prosecutor Tiana Demas said in her closing statement, adding that the defendant "downloaded more than 70 ISIS videos — videos that made clear exactly what ISIS is — a violent terrorist organization that kills innocent people and whoever stands in their way."
Pugh attempted to join the terrorist group by offering his knowledge of airplane mechanics, Demas said.
"He took papers showing his airplane mechanic credentials because he knew his skills as an airplane mechanic would be useful to ISIS," the prosecutor told the court.
According to The Associated Press, Pugh, who originally hails from Neptune, New Jersey, is the first verdict of more than 70 from the U.S. government accusing citizens of trying to join the IS.
Pugh's charge of obstructing justice comes from allegations that he attempted to destroy multiple flash drives that contained pro-IS propaganda.
The veteran's defense team attempted to argue that while Pugh did support the IS' beliefs, his desire to actually join the terrorist group would never become a reality.
Lawyers pointed specifically to a letter written by Pugh to his wife, in which he promised to "use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic State."
Because Pugh never sent the letter, his lawyers argued that his intent to join the terrorist group was not real.
"In this country, we don't punish a person for his thoughts," Pugh's lawyer Eric Creizman told the court last week.
The defense team also argued that Pugh traveled to Istanbul in January 2015 not to join the terrorist group but rather to find a new job, as he had recently lost his mechanic job working at an airport in Kuwait.
When Pugh was arrested by Turkish authorities in the Istanbul airport, he was carrying his resume and a letter of recommendation, his defense said.
According to The New York Times, It remains unclear whether Pugh was being tracked by the Turkish government when he was arrested, or if the U.S. FBI had been following him and carried out its arrest with the aid of Turkish authorities.
Pugh, who reportedly hung his head as his verdict was read Wednesday, faces up to 35 years in prison. He will be sentenced by Federal Judge Nicholas Garaufis.
