Grant SunesonA veteran Washington, D.C., police officer has been arrested and charged with providing material support to ISIS.
The U.S. Department of Justice said 36-year-old Nicholas Young conspired with an FBI informant to help the terrorist group by purchasing gift cards to fund mobile messaging accounts that ISIS uses to recruit potential soldiers.
Young had been a D.C. Metro Transit police officer since 2003. He was arrested Wednesday, making him the first American law enforcement officer charged with being involved with ISIS.
SEE MORE: How ISIS Distorts The Teachings Of Islam
Authorities insisted there was never any danger to the D.C. Metro system because of the close watch they had on Young.
Young was well-known to counterterrorism investigators. Two of his acquaintances pleaded guilty to terrorism charges, and Young himself has been under investigation for years.
Court records show Young traveled to Libya in 2011 and sympathized with Nazis and Islamic extremists. If convicted, Young faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
