US Army Veteran Allegedly Joined Al Qaeda, Charged With Using “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (+video)

U.S. Army veteran Eric Harroun of Phoenix has been charged with conspiring with an al Qaeda group to wage war against the Syrian regime. Harroun, 30, was charged Thursday in federal court in northern Virginia with plotting to use a rocket-propelled grenade – considered a weapon of mass destruction – outside the U.S., an offense which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the Justice Department.

MailOnline has previously reported that Harroun has been engaged in military action in Syria, fighting alongside rebel forces against the Syrian government.

The FBI began investigating Harroun after videos and photos were posted online of him fighting in Syria, posing with weapons and boasting of killing members of the Syrian regime. In one post, he claims credit for downing a Syrian helicopter.

Prosecutors say Harroun has also been fighting with the al-Nusrah Front, which is commonly known as al Qaeda in Iraq. According to the State Department, al-Nusrah has claimed responsibility for roughly 600 terrorist attacks in Syria.

Harroun returned to the U.S. on Wednesday after several interviews with FBI investigators in Turkey, where they grilled him about his dealings with al-Nusrah, according to a nine-page criminal complaint.

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