SACRAMENTO, Calif. – An Iraqi-born man living in California has been indicted on a federal charge that he lied to investigators about traveling to Syria to fight against the government there.
Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab was indicted in Sacramento on Thursday on one count of making a false statement involving international terrorism.
He was arrested a week ago. The indictment replaces an earlier criminal complaint with the same allegation.
Both carry sentences of up to eight years in prison.
Authorities say the 23-year-old went to Syria to fight in late 2013 and early 2014, joining a group later affiliated with the Islamic State group. However, they say he falsely told investigators he was visiting his grandmother in Turkey.
Prosecutors and his defense attorney say he planned no violent actions in the United States.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
