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Alleged American ISIS Fighter Was Fresh Recruit, Kurds Say
Source: ABC News
Alleged American ISIS Fighter Was Fresh Recruit, Kurds Say
By ALEXANDER MARQUARDT KIRIT RADIA LEE FERRAN Mar 16, 2016, 2:20 PM ET
The alleged American member of ISIS who was captured by Kurdish forces had only entered the warzone in December, with a “young Iraqi woman” at his side, before attempting to turn tail and head home, Kurdish authorities said today.
The young man, identified by a driver’s license purportedly found on him as Virginia resident 26-year-old Mohamad Jamal Khweis, was apprehended Monday after a sporadic firefight the day before, a Kurdish military official told ABC News. He was reportedly captured with his ID, two bank cards and over $4,000 in American cash. The Kurdish official said the young man said he was a civilian who had come from Mosul, a major Iraqi city currently held by ISIS.
A video posted on social media Monday appeared to show the young man’s surrender. In it, he tells Kurdish military officials he is American. U.S. government officials for the most part declined to comment on the development yesterday, beyond acknowledging media reports. Late Monday a U.S. counter-terrorism official told ABC News the young man had not been on the radar of American security or intelligence agencies. U.S. officials have said they suspect some 250 Americans have traveled to, or attempted to travel to Iraq or Syria to join extremists groups.
Reached by telephone Monday, a woman who identified herself as the mother of Mohamad Jamal Khweis told ABC News she had seen the news reports but later declined to watch the video. She said she had last seen her son a couple months ago and said she was shocked by the idea he was in Iraq.
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By ALEXANDER MARQUARDT KIRIT RADIA LEE FERRAN Mar 16, 2016, 2:20 PM ET
The alleged American member of ISIS who was captured by Kurdish forces had only entered the warzone in December, with a “young Iraqi woman” at his side, before attempting to turn tail and head home, Kurdish authorities said today.
The young man, identified by a driver’s license purportedly found on him as Virginia resident 26-year-old Mohamad Jamal Khweis, was apprehended Monday after a sporadic firefight the day before, a Kurdish military official told ABC News. He was reportedly captured with his ID, two bank cards and over $4,000 in American cash. The Kurdish official said the young man said he was a civilian who had come from Mosul, a major Iraqi city currently held by ISIS.
A video posted on social media Monday appeared to show the young man’s surrender. In it, he tells Kurdish military officials he is American. U.S. government officials for the most part declined to comment on the development yesterday, beyond acknowledging media reports. Late Monday a U.S. counter-terrorism official told ABC News the young man had not been on the radar of American security or intelligence agencies. U.S. officials have said they suspect some 250 Americans have traveled to, or attempted to travel to Iraq or Syria to join extremists groups.
Reached by telephone Monday, a woman who identified herself as the mother of Mohamad Jamal Khweis told ABC News she had seen the news reports but later declined to watch the video. She said she had last seen her son a couple months ago and said she was shocked by the idea he was in Iraq.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/alleged-american-isis-fighter-fresh-recruit-kurds/story?id=37697787
