A U.S. citizen who joined the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria in 2014 and was captured by pro-American Kurdish forces earlier this year has been returned to his home state of Texas, where he faces charges of supporting a terrorist organization, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
According to prosecutors, Omer Kuzu, who was born in Dallas, allegedly received weapons training in Iraq and later moved to Syria, where he was paid $125 a month to repair communications equipment for front-line IS fighters.
Kuzu, 23, is the sixth U.S. citizen or permanent resident to be indicted in the United States on charges of supporting IS overseas.
A federal grand jury in northern Texas recently indicted Kuzu on one count of traveling to Syria and conspiring to provide material support to IS. He made an initial court appearance before a magistrate judge Tuesday in northern Texas. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
“The United States continues to demonstrate its commitment to holding accountable those who have left this country in order to join and support ISIS,” John C. Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement.
According to a criminal complaint, in October 2014, Kuzu and his brother traveled from Houston to Istanbul, Turkey, then were smuggled into Syria to join IS forces. Kuzu later told investigators that he also traveled to Mosul, Iraq, where he received weapons training from IS.
Kuzu was subsequently sent back to Syria, where he pledged allegiance to the terror group and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, he told federal investigators.
In early 2019, as the Syrian Democratic Forces swooped down on IS strongholds, Kuzu fled the area along with other IS fighters and was eventually captured by the U.S.-backed SDF, he told investigators. SDF has captured thousands of IS fighters in Syria.