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Air Force Vet Guilty of Trying to Join Terrorists
A federal jury in Brooklyn has found Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, a former U.S. Air Force aircraft mechanic, guilty of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a foreign terrorist organization.
According to prosecutors, Pugh, an American citizen, attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIL and provide material support to the group. The jury delivered the verdict after a trial, which included evidence of Pugh’s expressed desire to cause violence and destruction on behalf of the terrorist organization.
Pugh’s conviction marks the first ISIL-related conviction after a trial in the United States. The defendant will be sentenced on September 16, 2016, by Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn.
U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers praised the verdict, saying it demonstrates the crucial role that law enforcement plays in disrupting and defeating terrorist groups. Capers thanked the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, which comprised a large number of federal, state, and local agencies from the region, for their assistance in the case.
Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin stated that Pugh’s conviction further demonstrates the government’s commitment to bringing to justice those who seek to provide material support to terrorists. FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Diego G. Rodriguez praised the jury’s verdict, saying it shows that those who adhere to ISIL’s terrorist agenda should be on notice: reject this ideology or face swift justice in American courts.
New York City Police Commissioner William J. Bratton also commended the verdict, saying it is fitting that the first ISIL conviction case is in the Eastern District of New York, which has prosecuted more terrorism cases than any other district in the country.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York prosecuted the case. Pugh faces a lengthy incarceration as a result of his conviction.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime|National Security
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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