Veteran Who Fought For Syrian Rebels Charged

An American army veteran has been charged in the US for fighting alongside a Syrian rebel group linked to al Qaeda.

Eric Harroun boasted on Facebook and posted videos of his military adventures with Jabhat al Nusrah, which is designated as a terrorist group by the US.

But he is now facing charges of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the US, specifically firing rocket-propelled grenades as part of an attack against the government of President Bashar al Assad.

Harroun filmed these images of a downed Syrian helicopter

The 30-year-old from Phoenix in Arizona - who served three years in the US Army before being medically discharged in 2003 - told the FBI that he crossed into Syria from Turkey in January.

He claimed credit on Facebook for downing a regime helicopter and told investigators that he shot an estimated 10 people in his various battles, though he was unsure if he had ever killed anyone.

Harroun also stated that "the only good Zionist is a dead Zionist", and that he intended to travel to the Palestinian territories because of Israeli atrocities there, according to the FBI.

In media interviews, he described himself as a "freedom fighter" and said joining up with al Nusrah is "not rocket science".

Although at other times he disputed a connection with the group.

The former soldier never saw overseas action with the US military

His father, Darryl Harroun, has said the car accident that led to his son's military discharge left him with a steel plate in his head, and exacerbated depression from which his son already suffered.

"They treat Eric like a hero over there. He was trying to save lives," he told KNXV.

"He was working with the same rebels that Obama was going to fund," he added.

Harroun faces up to life in prison if found guilty of breaking the American law which makes no exception for anyone who may be fighting a hostile regime.

He is due to appear in court in Virginia next Tuesday.

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