Report: Palestinian ISIS Fighter From Virginia Nabbed in Iraq

A Palestinian Islamic State fighter from the United States was taken into custody in northern Iraq after emerging from territory controlled by the militant group in Syria, an Iraqi Kurdish general confirmed on Monday.

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Maj. Gen. Feisal Helkani of the Peshmerga forces identified the individual as Mohammed Jamal Amin, 27, of Virginia.

He says Amin surrendered on Monday morning near the town of Sinjar, which was retaken by Iraqi forces from ISIS militants late last year.

Helkani says Amin was carrying with him a large amount of cash, three cell phones and three forms of identification, including a United States driving license.

CBS News, citing two sources with the Kurdish peshmerga military force, said the apparent American defector was trying to return to Turkey.

The Pentagon said it could not immediately confirm the incident. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad also could not confirm it, CBS said.

CNN, which also reported the incident, said the fighter was captured near Sinjar and handed over to Kurdish authorities in the region.

Peshmerga forces initially fired warning shots when they saw the man on concerns he was a suicide bomber, but he identified himself as a former member of Islamic State who wanted to turn himself in, according to CBS.

Amin, whose father is from Palestine and mother from Iraq, had fought with the militants for a couple of months, it said, citing Kurdish reports.