American teacher caught in Syria says that he was curious about the Islamic State terrorist group

An American teacher captured by Kurdish-led forces in Syria acknowledged in an interview aired Tuesday that he was drawn to the Islamic State movement but said he did not fight.

NBC News broadcast an interview with Warren Christopher Clark, one of five foreigners, including another American, whom the Syrian Democratic Forces last week said they had seized as they battled remnants of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria.

Clark, a 34-year-old Texan who converted to Islam and took the alias Abu Mohammed al-Ameriki, said of the extremists: “I wanted to learn more about their ideology.”

“I wanted to go see exactly what the group was about, and what they were doing,” he said.

Clark said he entered Syria in 2015 and had previously watched videos of beheadings by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.

“I’m from the United States, from Texas. They like to execute people, too. So I really don’t see any difference. They might do it off camera, but it’s the same,” he said.

But Clark insisted that he never fought for the group, which he said detained him numerous times for not taking up arms.

Instead Clark, who had worked as a substitute teacher in Sugar Land, near Houston, said he offered his services as an English instructor in Islamic State-controlled territory.

US officials have yet to reveal what they will do with Clark and another US citizen purportedly arrested by Kurdish-led forces, Zaid Abed al-Hamid.

President Donald Trump has in the past vowed tough punishment against extremists detained overseas.

Source: Daily Mail