By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
The feds have arrested a Hawaiian man who traveled to Pakistan, hoping to join the Taliban or a similar group, the Associated Press reported.
Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, 21, a U.S. citizen, who was arrested Friday in Honolulu, was charged with making false statements relating to international terrorism, AP reported. The criminal complaint was unsealed Monday in New York.
Authorities say Shehadeh was living on Staten Island in New York in early 2008 when he made a plan to join the Taliban or a similar group in Pakistan.
Shehadeh actually flew from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 13, 2008, but was denied entry an returned to the U.S., AP reported. He originally told FBI agents and New York police detectives that he traveled to Pakistan to visit an Islamic university and attend a friend’s wedding, but later confessed to his true purpose.
He also allegedly tried to recruit others, authorities allege, according to AP.
