Colorado Teenager Charged with Attempting to Join ISIS, Justice Department Reveals

A Colorado teenager has been charged with providing material support to the notorious terrorist organization ISIS, according to an announcement made by the Justice Department on Tuesday.

The FBI's investigation into the matter began after receiving a tip from a social media company.

The information reportedly led authorities to encounter Humzah Mashkoor when he was just 16 years old. Nearly a year later, the FBI arrested him at Denver International Airport, where he was allegedly attempting to board a flight to join ISIS, as stated in the criminal complaint filed by the Justice Department.

The complaint reveals that undercover FBI agents-initiated communication with Mashkoor, who went by the social media name "Humzah Afghan." It further states that Mashkoor frequently expressed support for ISIS, sharing online videos of executions, according to the department's court filing.

In their conversations with the undercover officer, Mashkoor allegedly revealed that he was born in the United States but had traveled to Afghanistan with his family before returning to the U.S.

Mashkoor allegedly expressed a desire to go back to Afghanistan, particularly to areas under Taliban control, where he claimed to have family. The complaint suggests that Mashkoor initially supported the Taliban but shifted his allegiance to ISIS following the bombing of Kabul Airport in 2021.

In one exchange, Mashkoor allegedly wrote to an undercover FBI agent, "Are you ready? Once we go there's no turning back... We leave behind everything... Our family's... Our homes... Our friends... For the sake of Allah... Life won't be easy, we will be strangers moving from place to place... Hated by the whole world."

The complaint also states that in the fall of 2022, Mashkoor expressed his willingness to do anything ISIS instructed him to do, including participating in gun attacks. He claimed to have minimal training with firearms from his younger years.

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Furthermore, the complaint reveals that Mashkoor took the oath to join ISIS in October 2022. Throughout 2023, leading up to his 18th birthday, Mashkoor allegedly discussed his plans to travel and join ISIS. He even mentioned the possibility of marrying someone who shared his beliefs. He intended to donate all of his money to the terrorist organization in cryptocurrency before turning 18.

Mashkoor was initially scheduled to travel on December 11 but postponed his departure to December 18, the day of his arrest.