SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA
A resident of the City of Orange plead guilty today to federal charges of attempting to give ISIS, a terrorist group, support and making a false statement in a passport application, officials said.
Adam Dandach, 21, plead guilty today in federal court, Dandach admitted that, beginning in approximately November 2013 and continuing until July 2, 2014, he attempted to travel to Syria to join ISIS.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Orange.
“This case demonstrates the need for continued vigilance and swift action to fight the false allure of foreign terrorist organizations that threaten the security of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “As Mr. Dandach succumbed to ISIL’s online recruiting efforts, the Joint Terrorism Task Force was able to uncover his plan before he left the United States, which prevented this young man from becoming a foreign fighter. As a result of today’s guilty pleas, Mr. Dandach now faces a lengthy term in federal prison.”
According to court documents, this is what happened:
On July 1, 2014, Dandach purchased a ticket to fly from Santa Ana to Istanbul.
The FBI intercepted Dandach at the John Wayne International Airport the following day.
Dandach told FBI special agents that his ultimate destination was Syria and that he intended to pledge allegiance to ISIS’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
He explained that he wished to live under the control of ISIS and intended to undergo weapons training.
Dandach also admitted that he made a false statement in a passport application, namely that he had lost his previous passport. In fact, a family member had taken Dandach’s passport from him during the previous year when he expressed an interest in traveling to Syria.
Judge Selna is scheduled to sentence Dandach on Jan. 11 and is facing up to 25 years in prison, officials.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Orange County.
(TV News Report July 2014 Report)