Asher Abid Khan, a 20-year-old US citizen, was restless and living in Sydney when he began researching ways to travel to Syria or Iraq to join terror group Islamic State, according to US prosecutors.
Khan was arrested on Tuesday in Houston, Texas, after authorities monitored his Facebook and other communications.
He has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State and if convicted faces up to 15 years in US federal prison.
According to the complaint filed by the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Texas, Khan had been living in Sydney with relatives since October, 2013, and on January 11, 2014, reached out to a Turkish-based foreign terrorist fighter facilitator code-named in court papers as CC-1.
CC-1 is described as a 24-year-old foreign national who travelled between Syria and Turkey and regularly used Facebook to communicate with potential IS recruits.
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"After explaining he (Khan) was in Sydney, Australia, he stated 'I wana (sic) join ISIS can you help?'" prosecutors alleged.
Khan also allegedly told CC-1 via Facebook he didn't "like living in the west anymore, and that he is 'sad' because he sits in Australia 'comfortably while (his) brothers are is so much hardship".
Prosecutors allege Khan and a friend in Houston, known as SRG, began discussing travel logistics.
Khan deemed travelling to Syria was dangerous, whereas travel to Iraq would require the duo to "make our way ourselves to the ISIS" headquarters "and then after taking training with them we can go to the front lines in Damascus".
Khan also wrote, "I don't want to fight for war booty or for nationalism. I want to just rise the laws of Allah", prosecutors alleged.
On February 24, 2014, Khan flew from Australia for Turkey on Malaysian Airlines while SRG flew from Houston to London.
Before the flight Khan asked CC-1 if he should trim his beard and CC-1 responded he should "definitely" trim it, according to court papers.
Khan and SRG made it to Turkey, but authorities said Khan's parents tricked him into returning to Houston by claiming his mother was in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
SRG allegedly went on to join IS in Syria and had communicated with Khan back in the US.
The FBI originally became aware of Khan based on a search of SRG's Facebook account which contained several pictures of SRG in camouflage clothes, handling what appeared to be AK-47-style rifles and discussions about travelling to Syria and joining IS.
