The federal prosecutors found the allegiance of a US Air Force veteran to the militant Islamic State. The suspect's criminal trial started Monday in New York.
The suspect known as Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh was believed to have travelled in Turkey in his effort to join the Islamic group. He was found to be dipping himself in the group's violent propaganda and was guilty of watching videos that behead victims of the group. According to US attorney Mark Bini, Pugh also expresseD his approval on Facebook, as per Yahoo.
Defending Pugh is his attorney Eric Creizman who said that the suspect's only crime is voicing out his support for the group and there was no clear evidence that he was physically engaging in the group's activities as well as crossing into the Islamic-controlled territory. He added that the US doesn't prosecute people who have thoughts of joining a terrorist group.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Pugh is the oldest person in the United States to be charged with sympathizing with the terrorist group. The average group that involves these cases are ages 26 and mostly teens.
Since 2014, there have been more than 72 cases that reached the US Department of Justice, and Pugh's case is only the second to reach the trial court. In 2015, Pugh was detained by the Turkish authorities in Istanbul after living in Egypt for more than a year.
The US investigators found letters addressed to Pugh's wife stating that he only had two option in defending the Islamic State, and its either victory or martyrdom. Authorities also stumbled on 180 jihadist videos on his laptop and he was able to destroy four portable data drives before being detained.
From 1986 until 1990, Pugh served as an avionics specialist in the Air Force. In 2001, he worked as a mechanic for American Airlines. According to AOL, Pugh's co-worker told the FBI that he sympathized with Osama Bin laden and he felt that the 1998 US bombings were just an expression of anti-American sentiments.
US District Judge Nicholas Garaufis took the responsibility of sealing the courtroom during the testimony of an undercover FBI agent to protect his identity. The trial will be broadcasted via an audio feed that will come from a separate room for the public to hear. It is expected for the trial to last for two weeks.
