Flight to Join ISIS: Man Arrested While Boarding Airplane in Virginia

Woodbridge, VA — On Jan. 15, a Woodbridge man got out of a cab at Richmond International Airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and was arrested as he approached the departure gate. His final destination was supposed to be Syria, and the Islamic State.

Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, was sentenced Friday to more than eight years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to a statement by the Justice Department, Farrokh made several attempts to reach the Middle East. He worked closely with another Woodbridge man, Mahmoud Amin Elhassan, 25, to avoid detection by law enforcement and join the terror group in the Middle East.

Farrokh also spent $600 to help Elhassan with his own trip to Syria at a later date. Elhassan was arrested soon after Farrokh was taken into custody. Elhassan was indicted in May on related charges.

On Oct. 2, Farrokh allegedly said he had no patience and wanted to go right away and “chop their heads,” a reference to brutal videos released by the terror group that shows captives being beheaded, according to prosecutors.

The men didn't realize they were being monitored and allegedly continued their planning, including discussions of Farrokh shaving his beard and flying out of Richmond to avoid closer scrutiny at Washington, D.C., airports, according to prosecutors.

Once released, Farrokh will be monitored for a decade, according to prosecutors.

“Thanks to the relentless work of agents, analysts and prosecutors, together with the essential contributions of our partners in the Joint Terrorism Task Force, we were able to disrupt those plans and bring him to justice," said Assistant Director Paul Abbate with the FBI's Washington Field Office. "The FBI’s highest priority remains preventing terrorist attacks and combating terrorism here in the U.S. and around world.”