Daoud was set to go on trial this summer, but last month it was pushed back so that he could undergo a mental health evaluation. The judge made the decision after Daoud behaved erratically during a court appearance, shouting, “You arrested me because I’m Muslim” and “I’m not crazy.”
Seventeen-year-old Abdella Ahmad Tounisi attended the same mosque as Daoud, and in 2011 authorities started monitoring him as well. With a slight build, Tounisi had been bullied as a kid and took refuge in his religion. He was outraged by atrocities committed by the Syrian government and talked with Daoud about wanting to go there and fight. Daoud’s contact—the undercover agent—offered to help Tounisi, but Tounisi suspected he was a government “spy.”
After Daoud was arrested, the FBI tapped Tounisi’s phone and followed his Internet activity. Over the next few months agents noted that he conducted searches on “martyrdom” and watched videos on fighting in the Middle East. In March 2013 he contacted a website calling for recruits to join Jabhat, a spinoff of al-Qaeda fighting the Syrian government (and later battling with ISIS as well). Tounisi e-mailed to ask for help in joining them.
The person who responded offered encouragement and asked if he had money for the trip. Tounisi said he had $1,396 but worried about his role with the organization. “Concerning my fighting skills to be honest I do not have any,” he wrote. “I’m very small (5 feet six inches, 120 pounds) physically but I pray to Allah that he makes me successful.”