US Air Force veteran sentenced for trying to join IS

Washington, June 1 (IANS) A US Air Force veteran convicted for providing material support and trying to join the Islamic State (IS) terror group has been sentenced to 35 years in prison, the media reported.

Tairod Pugh was convicted by a federal jury in 2016, according to the US Justice Department.

"The defendant turned his back on his country, and the military he once served, to attempt to join a brutally violent terrorist organisation committed to the slaughter of innocent people throughout the world," CNN quoted Acting US Attorney Bridget Rohde as saying while handing the sentence on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege that investigators discovered a letter on Pugh's desktop computer saying he wanted to "use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic State" and a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, where IS controls some territory.

Pugh, a convert to Islam, served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990, according to the Justice Department.

Prosecutors presented evidence at the trial that Pugh travelled from Egypt to Turkey in an attempt to cross into Syria to join the IS.

Pugh was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines, and navigation and weapons systems.

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