Officials: ISIS Fighter With Maryland Ties Surrenders In Iraq

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Surrendered overseas. U.S. officials are desperately trying to gather more information on an American man who was taken into custody in Iraq and claims he broke away from ISIS.

Investigators believe the fighter was born right here in Maryland.

Rick Ritter has more.

Video shows the young man moments after he appeared out of the Iraqi dessert taken into custody and being questioned by Kurdish fighters.

They say the 26-year-old surrendered carrying a Virginia driver's license issued to Mohamed Jamal Khweis, three cell phones and cash.

American officials believe he was born in Maryland and somehow made it to the front lines of ISIS and the site of violent clashes.

On Tuesday media showed up at a Virginia address listed on Khweis' license, but family met them with confrontation.

The FBI has long warned about ISIS, targeting young, troubled souls across the United States and trying to recruit them over the internet.

"To attract younger generation and people they want attract today, they come forward with very, very slick video," said a special agent with the FBI.

There are thousands of foreigners fighting with ISIS, but over the last five years, analysts think around 100 Americans made it to the battlefield in Syria and Iraq.

"The terrorism threat we face today, is very different than it was 15 years ago," said FBI director James Comey.

A frightening reality they don't yet have an answer for.

"I don't have an easy solution, but I want to make sure the American people know about this and we as a democracy talk about it," said Comey.

The FBI is still trying to piece together a timeline for Khweis and determine exactly when he got overseas and what drew him there.

Khweis has been turned over to Kurdish intelligence.