Khweis, a Palestinian-American, surrendered to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, saying he was initially attracted to IS because of its “peaceful and humanitarian efforts”, but after joining he became disenchanted and chose to leave and renounce the organization’s ideology.
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The Post shares the statistics involving individuals who have joined the Islamic State from the United States.
Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 26, traveled to the Middle East in late 2015 and told Federal Bureau of Investigation agents that he “gave himself” to the terrorist group, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday.
Khweis purportedly told authorities after his capture that he interacted with an ISIS group at a safe-house near Raqqa.
“I stayed there (in Mosul) about a month, and I found it very, very hard to live there”.
He is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
“I wasn’t thinking straight”, Khweis said in English during a heavily edited portion of the interview.
In the interview with Kurdistan24, Khweis said he became disillusioned with ISIS while living in Mosul and made a decision to turn himself over to the American-friendly Kurdish troops.
Khweis, who said in the video that he attended American mosques infrequently, claimed he immediately regretted his decision to go with the girl, and he particularly did not enjoy his time in Mosul, the largest city in northern Iraq and the Islamic State’s main stronghold in the country.
“During the interview, the defendant stated he “gave himself” to ISIL and that they controlled him”. “The defendant stated that he thought this question was meant to test his commitment to ISIL”.
Khweis said on TV that he was born and raised in Virginia, the son of Palestinian immigrants who came to the US decades ago.
The yearbook from his senior year lists him as having participated in no extracurricular activities. “The people who are controlling Mosul don’t represent the religion”.
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Although unknown to the Federal Bureau of Investigation prior to his time in spent overseas, Khweis was charged with more than a dozen traffic and other minor offenses, including trespassing and DWI between 2007 and 2012. He paid hundreds of dollars in fines and costs and, in the trespassing case, completed more than 50 hours of community service at an adult learning center, the records show. The family has not seen him since he left home in December. He flew out out of Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport in December, selling his vehicle before leaving the country. “The defendant stated that he knew ISIL used violence in its expansion of the caliphate, but he also stated that ISIL engaged in peaceful and humanitarian efforts”. During interviews with US authorities, prosecutors said he admitted to traveling to Syria to join the terrorist group, admitting at one point he had pledged to carry out a suicide bomb attack if directed, and participating in one month of religious training ahead as required by the group.
