Man accused of supporting terrorists in custody after flying to Charlotte airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man at the center of an international terrorism investigation is in the Mecklenburg County jail after court documents say he flew to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport from Pakistan.

According to court documents, 35-year-old Waqar Ul-Hassan is facing two counts of false statements involving terrorism.

Channel 9 learned Hassan was born in Pakistan, but moved to Virginia as a teenager. Officials said he lived in both Pakistan and the United States over the last 20 years.

(Waqar Ul-Hassan)

According to the documents, “On or about July 25, 2014, the FBI Roanoke RA initiated an international investigation of Hassan based on information Hassan was in communication with persons associated with FTOs (Foreign Terrorist Organizations).”

He was interviewed several times by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2015. He initially denied supporting any terrorist groups or extremists.

But in a later interview, the documents say Hassan, “admitted to extensive contacts with a JeM (Jaish-e-Mohammed) recruiter, who he identified by name.” He also admitted, “he traveled to—and stayed with—JeM extremists for two or three days in 2014, traveled in Pakistan in 2013 and 2014 to collect money and food for JeM extremists, and passed out recruiting newspapers for JeM in Pakistan in 2014.”

[ALSO READ: Man in court after accused of trying to fly ISIS supporter to US]

The U.S. Secretary of State designated Jaish-e-Mohammed as a foreign terrorist organization in 2001, the same organization with ties to the killing of American journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

The documents also say he denied trying to send money to Syria for ISIS but later admitted, “he asked for help about sending $150 to ISIS in Syria, but said he never intended to follow through with sending the money to ISIS.”

In a statement to agents, Hassan wrote, "I was curious about jihad. I wanted to find out how they do jihad."

The documents say Hassan flew to Pakistan in 2016 and had not returned to the U.S. since. He booked travel to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on April 30, according to the documents.

Hassan now must be transported from Charlotte to Virginia to face the terrorism related charges, according to the arrest warrant from the judge.

It’s unclear why Hassan wasn’t detained after the 2015 FBI interview. A source indicated to Eyewitness News Anchor Paul Boyd agents were likely following Hassan very closely as part of a broader investigation.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

Cox Media Group