Alabama man arrested in ISIS probe

An Alabama man was arrested in connection to a terrorism probe in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation says he told agents he would execute a U.S. soldier if ordered to do so by ISIS, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Nayef Qashou was taken into custody by the FBI on Monday. He is reportedly charged with lying to the FBI and destroying records.

In an affidavit obtained by AP, the FBI says Qashou arrived in the U.S. in 2015, planning to study nursing at an Opelika, Ala., community college.

Since then he has been interviewed by the FBI more than a dozen times.

The agency found that Qashou used encrypted phone apps to communicate with suspected terrorists who told him he should carry out an attack in the U.S.

“Qashou would not tell interviewers exactly how he responded to the suggestion to conduct a U.S. attack,” FBI Special Agent Scott Sullivan wrote in the sworn affidavit, according to AP.

“He stated he essentially responded by saying the only way he could justify an attack is for it to be against U.S. Armed Forces personnel on U.S. soil.”

Qashou also told FBI agents that while he does not believe in violence, he would assist the Islamic State and would “drive fuel trucks, feed troops, and use a gun to defend against U.S.-led attacks against ISIS.”

Qashou is a dual Jordanian and United States citizen who was born in the United Arab Emirates and grew up in Saudi Arabia, according to AP.

Source: The Hill