American Bernard Raymond Augustine, 20, from Keyes, California, was arrested for allegedly attempting to enter Libya to join ISIS, U.S. officials told ABC News.
Augustine, an Islam convert, was detained and extradited to the U.S. from Tunisia. He faces charges of attempting to provide material support to terrorism.
His first court appearance was expected to be on Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn.
In 2016, Augustine flew from San Francisco to Tunisia after purchasing a one-way ticket. This is where he was originally arrested and charged with terrorism-related charges.
He told U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that he was traveling for vacation, according to court records.
He was returned to American officials this week after being in Tunisian custody for two years.
“There was no legitimate reason for Augustine to travel to Tunisia,” a fellow resident of Keyes told authorities, according to court documents.
Augustine’s computer was seized and a search exposed a song that praises ISIS. They also discovered messages that were sent to the Islamic State group, graphic videos that displayed the violence propagated by ISIS fighters, and searches for “how to safely join ISIS.”
Family members told the FBI they had no idea why he left because they have no friends or family who live in Tunisia.
Neighbors said Augustine was quiet and stayed to himself, according to FOX40.
Augustine was “extroverted” and “carefree,” an old friend said of Augustine.
“When I met him he wanted to be a nurse, then he lost interest and wanted to be an anesthesiologist. Then he mentioned he wanted to travel to do welding school. He was indecisive about what he wanted to do,” she said.
“They were just a really quiet family. I didn’t really suspect anything about them. He was nice. He didn’t seem dangerous to me at all,” a woman who wished to remain anonymous told FOX40.
