A U.S. Air Force veteran is trying to dodge charges of intent to take part in Islamic State terrorist activity by claiming protection under free speech rights.
Tairod Pugh’s lawyer pointed out to the jury Monday that although Pugh’s views and speech may be repugnant, they are protected under the First Amendment, since he technically never expressed intent to engage in illegal activity, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Pugh, who served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990, faces two charges: one for material support for terrorism and one for obstruction of justice. The two charges could place him in prison for up to 35 years. He has pleaded not guilty to both.
The radicalization of Pugh occurred after he started watching ISIS propaganda videos, specifically ones featuring beheadings. Training videos, too, galvanized his support. He apparently then took to a Facebook group and began posting favorable items about the terror group, prosecutors said.
Pugh even decided to tell some of his co-workers that ISIS needed aircraft mechanics, a role he filled for the Air Force during his time in the military. ISIS currently has no air force.
Prosecutors rebutted the First Amendment defense by noting Pugh crossed into illegal activity when he flew to Turkey. His goal seemed to be to cross over the border to Syria from that position, but he was denied. Turkish authorities stopped him and shipped him over to Egypt. He lived for a while in Egypt before deportation back to the U.S.
Authorities picked him up in January 2015.
Prosecutors say intent is strongly indicated in this case by maps of Syria’s border with Turkey stored on Pugh’s thumb drives, which Pugh then tried to destroy. More damning is the letter authorities found from Pugh written to his wife, in which he suggested he wanted to travel to Syria and die for Islam. There were also search terms on his computer like “borders controlled by Islamic state.”
The response from Pugh’s lawyer? Pugh was just traveling to Turkey in search of a job. That’s precisely why he was carrying a resume in his backpack.
Pugh’s trial is the second case of an ISIS supporter dragged in front of a court on charges. In Phoenix, another case has so carried on for two weeks. Other trials across the country will soon begin in Minnesota and North Carolina. Current counts place the number of U.S. citizens trying to join ISIS at 82.
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