FBI: Man Arrested At John Wayne Airport Was On His Way To Join Terrorist Group
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A 20-year-old man arrested at John Wayne Airport, bound for the Middle East with a fraudulently obtained passport, told authorities he was going to join a known terrorist organization.
The FBI took Adam Dandach of Orange County into custody July 2 before he boarded a Delta Airlines flight to Istanbul, according to federal court papers.
He told federal investigators that he was traveling to Syria so he could pledge allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a known group of terrorists broken off from Al-Qaeda, the Los Angeles Times reported. He also said he'd assist ISIS with anything they asked of him and that he believed "the killings of U.S. soldiers are justified killings."
Dandach had applied for an expedited replacement passport in June, saying in the application that he had accidentally thrown the original in the trash while cleaning.
Authorities said Dandach's mother, Sawsan Ganoom, actually took his original passport in December and hid it from him. She also took the money Dandach had intended to use to travel to Syria because she didn't want him to go.
Investigators said Dandach swore under the penalty of perjury the statements he made on the passport were true.
Dandach was indicted Wednesday on charges he lied on his passport application.
He's scheduled to appear in federal court July 21.
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