On January 7, 2015, an Iraqi-born man of Palestinian descent, Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, was arrested in Sacramento, California, where he was currently residing; he had come to the U.S. from Syria as a refugee in October 2012. His Facebook page appears to be mostly filled with photos of himself and his friends, and shows that he has a keen interest in cars. He also posted occasional anti-Assad political statements regarding Syria.
According to the affidavit, on November 19, 2013, Al-Jayab arrived in Aleppo, Syria; Jayab's records show that he returned to Sacramento on January 23, 2014, via London and Los Angeles. Also on his Facebook page are photos of him en route to the U.S. via London and Istanbul, returning from combat in Syria, shared days after his return.
Details In Affidavit
The affidavit released by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California included details of conversations Al-Jayab conducted with others regarding his engagement in combat in Syria. According to the affidavit, "[o]n March 2, 2013, Al- Jayab communicated with individual G, who was likely located in Iraq, based on his communications with Al-Jayab. Al- Jayab wrote, 'I am coming to Syria [...] I have planned a route and everything. [...] The most important is the duty of the path.' Al-Jayab offered, 'If you want in Iraq, I will arrange it for you. I will arrange it for you in Syria also. I will take you with me at your convenience, so decide what you want to do. [...] Only the Jabhat al-Nusrah group. It is impossible that we go with others."
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The affidavit also revealed that on April 16, 2013, Al-Jayab communicated with a contact in Syria, writing: "I do not want anything in the world, just to get to Syria safely and find you there, you and [Individual F], [Individual D], and [Individual C] [...] I am eager to see blood."
Content Of His Facebook Page
On January 29, 2014, days after his January 23 return to Sacramento from Syria via London and Los Angeles, Al-Jayab posted several photos of what appeared to be his return trip. He uploaded a photo of himself at what appears to be Heathrow Airport, in front of a sign for a Costa coffee shop, a UK-based chain.
On January 19, Jayab uploaded a photo of himself in Istanbul.
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