Khan is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization

(VOVworld) – A 19-year-old American teenager has been arrested at O'Hare International Airport trying to leave the US to join the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. The US Department of Justice said on Monday that Mohammed Hamzah Khan is accused of attempting to provide aid to a foreign terrorist organization. Following his arrest, investigators searched his house in suburban Bolingbrook and found a number of hand-written letters and documents in support of the IS, including a plan to travel abroad. Khan was caught holding a round-trip ticket to Istanbul.

Khan appeared in federal court on Monday and remains in custody. His next hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Under US law, if he is found guilty of supporting a terrorist organization, Khan could receive a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a 250,000 USD fine.