U.S. Air Force Veteran Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh Charged with Attempting to Join Islamic State

The Qur’an commands Muslims to “fight those who do not believe in Allah” (9:29). Somehow, the media are confused when some Muslims actually decide to obey Allah.

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh

Reuters—A U.S. Air Force veteran pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to trying to provide support for the Islamic State militant group.

Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey, entered his plea at a hearing in the federal court in Brooklyn, New York. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis told attorneys to be ready for trial in July.

If convicted, Pugh could face up to 35 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Pugh, 47, a former avionics instrument system specialist in the Air Force, tried to join Islamic State in January by traveling from Egypt to Turkey and trying to cross the border into Syria.

Turkish authorities sent him back to Egypt, which detained him and subsequently deported him to the United States, prosecutors said.

U.S. federal agents found recent Internet searches on Pugh’s laptop and other devices for “borders controlled by Islamic State” and a propaganda video by the group, according to prosecutors.

Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and converted to Islam after moving to San Antonio, Texas, in 1998, becoming “increasingly radical in his beliefs” in following years, according to a criminal complaint filed when he was arrested in January. (Continue Reading.)

To understand why Pugh became “radical in his beliefs” following his conversion, watch this: