Two Miss. St. students try to join ISIS

Two Mississippi State students attempted to give studying abroad a new meaning over the weekend.

According to a story by WMC Action News 5, Jaelyn Young and Muhammad Dakhlalla were caught trying to depart from Golden Triangle Airport in Columbus, Mississippi, to travel to Syria to join ISIS. The students have been under investigation for several months because of concerning tweets by Young. Young’s father was a veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and currently serves as a Vicksburg police officer.

Young graduated from Warren Central High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 2013 with honors and was the senior homecoming maid, according to The Vicksburg Post. Young and Dakhlalla reportedly planned to marry in Turkey, then travel to Syria together to join ISIS.

A federal affidavit, obtained by local news station WTVA, reveals Jaelyn Young and Muhammad Dakhlalla’s online discussions with undercover FBI agents and Young’s tweets. According to the affidavit, on May 25th, 2015, Young tweeted, “The only thing keeping me away is $$$ but working all of this overtime will be worth it when I am finally there” and “I just want to be there :( #IS.”

On July 17th, 2015, Following the Chattanooga, Tennessee shooting, Jaelyn told undercover agents, “What makes me feel better after just watching the news is that an akhi [brother] carried out an attack against US marines in TN! Alhamdulillah [All praise be to God], the numbers of supporters are growing.”

Dakhlalla also spoke to undercover agents on July 13th, telling them that he wished “to be a mujahid akhi [fighter/warrior]. I am willing to fight. I want to be taught what it really means to have that heart in battle!”

Young explained that she had hoped to use her experience in math and chemistry to help aid the wounded. She also explained that Dakhlalla had computer/media experience and would also like to help.

Young and Dakhlalla were denied bond by a judge Tuesday morning.

Dakhlalla’s family lawyer told ABC that the family is “pretty shook up.”

According to the family, Dakhlalla was starting graduate school at Mississippi State on Monday. Dakhlalla’s father is an Imam at a mosque; however, according to the family lawyer, “he teaches Islam as a religion of peace and that you treat Christians, like me and my wife, as the Koran teaches them that they’re people of the book, deserving of respect.”

Mississippi State University’s administration told Campus Reform that it had no statement on the matter, but noted that “in a 15-page federal criminal complaint against these two individuals, no reference was made to Mississippi State University.”

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @ChrisNuelle