ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – A jury is now considering the fate of a Virginia man who traveled to Syria and Iraq because, as he put it, he wanted to “check things out” inside the Islamic State.
Lawyers presented closing arguments Wednesday in the terrorism trial of Mohamad Khweis of Alexandria, who eventually fled the Islamic State and was captured by Kurdish forces last year.
Prosecutors ridiculed the notion that Khweis was on a three-month curiosity tour. They noted that he told terrorists on an intake form that he was willing to be a suicide bomber.
Khweis took the stand and testified that once he arrived in Syria, he felt he couldn’t refuse requests from Islamic State officials for fear of being labeled a spy.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (PHOTO: Fairfax Co. Police)
