A U.S. Air Force veteran convicted of supporting the Islamic State (ISIS) was sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday.
Identified as Tairod Pugh, a convert to Islam, the veteran was convicted by a federal jury in 2016 on charges of trying to give material support to the ISIS and of obstruction of justice, according to the US Justice Department indictment.
"The defendant turned his back on his country, and the military he once served, to attempt to join a brutally violent terrorist organization committed to the slaughter of innocent people throughout the world," the CNN quoted Acting United States Attorney Bridget Rohde as saying.
According to the prosecutors, 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 States," and a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, where ISIS controls some territory.
Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems, according to the Justice Department.
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