Californian tried to join Islamic State in Syria: prosecutors

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California man whom prosecutors say sought to travel to Syria last year in a bid to join Islamic State fighters was indicted on federal charges, the Justice Department said on Wednesday. The suspect, Adam Dandach, 21, of Orange, California, was indicted by a grand jury in Santa Ana, California, the department said in a statement. Dandach was arrested in July when he tried to travel to Turkey with what the department said was the intent of crossing into Syria to join Islamic State militants. He believed killing U.S. soldiers was justified, the statement said. Dandach, who is also known as Fadi Fadi Dandach, is charged with attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization, lying on a passport application in order to aid terrorism and obstruction of justice. The grand jury indictment supersedes the original one in July, in which he was charged with lying on a passport application. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond. (Reporting by Ian Simpson and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Cynthia Osterman)