A California man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to travel to Syria to join terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Nicholas Michael Teausant of Acampo California was arrested near the U.S.- Canada border after attempting to make his way to Syria, according to a Tuesday press release from the Department of Justice.
Teausant pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide material resources to a foreign terrorist organization, according to the DOJ.
“This case, like others in communities across the United States and around the world, is an example of how a young person from any place and any background might make the terrible decision to try and become part of a terrorist organization,” U.S. Attorney Wagner said in the press release. “Fortunately, the FBI intervened in this case before any harm could be inflicted upon innocent persons.
Teausant was originally charged in 2014 after he decided to drop out of community college and the National Guard in order to join the terrorist group in Syria. (RELATED: New Jersey Man Admits To Attempting To Join ISIS, Now Faces Jail Time)
According to The Sacramento Bee, Teausant began posting on social media under the pseudonym “Assad Teausant bigolsmurf” while posting messages about his desire to commit “violent jihad” and take part in “America’s downfall.”
After becoming aware of Teausant’s intent to make his way to Syria to join ISIS via Canada, the FBI was able to lure him through a paid undercover source. That is when Teausant told the undercover source of his plans to travel Syria by way of Canada.
“I like ISIS,” he told the undercover source according to The Sacramento Bee. “Islamic state of, um, crap I forget.”
The FBI was able to detain Teausant on an Amtrak train before he was able to cross the border from Washington into British Columbia.
The maximum sentence for the one count of attempting to provide material resources to a foreign terrorist organization is 15 years.