He was in the Air Force from ’86 through ’90. Converted to Islam in ’98, and worked for American Airlines in 2001….  Arrested in January, and only just now coming to light?

A Summary of facts from an ABC Article – A former U.S. Air Force veteran (1986-1990), Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, 47, originally from New Jersey, was arrested several months ago by the FBI for trying to join ISIS.

On Jan. 10, he flew from Egypt to Turkey hoping to slip into Syria but Turkish authorities refused to let him enter their country.

Egyptian authorities then deported Pugh to the United States, where he was arrested by the FBI and found to be carrying multiple electronic devices, including a cell phone that allegedly contained a photograph of a machine gun. Some of the data on the electronic devices had been deleted, prosecutors say.

On his laptop, FBI agents discovered that he had been viewing ISIS propaganda online and conducting online searches for such phrases as “borders controlled by Islamic state,” “kobani border crossing,” and “who controls kobani,” according to prosecutors.

[…] According to court documents, he “appears to have close ties to a woman in Egypt whom he has identified as his wife.”

[…] A federal grand jury in Brooklyn, N.Y. indicted Pugh Monday on two charges — attempting to provide material support to terror organization, and obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding.

[…] Pugh converted to Islam after moving to San Antonio, Texas, in 1998 and “became increasingly radical in his beliefs,” the feds said.

In 2001, while he was working as a mechanic for American Airlines, a coworker notified the FBI that Pugh had been expressing anti-American sentiment and that he sympathized with Osama bin Laden, authorities said. (full article)