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AZ terrorism suspect considered 'flight risk,' documents say

Posted at 5:35 PM, Jul 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-05 21:44:01-04

The Tucson teenager, who is facing terrorism-related charges, is being held without bond in a Maricopa County jail because he is considered flight risk, according to state and federal authorities.

In a Maricopa County Superior Court "release questionnaire,” authorities said Khan is considered a flight risk "due to nature of the arrest/said he would flee to Syria or Pakistan."

Public records show that Khan's family owns homes in Tucson and Chandler.

Neighbors living near his Chandler home, off South Dobson and Germann roads, said the family was in and out of the home all the time. One neighbor said that Khan had lived there since at least 2008 and that he’s known him since he was 10 years old and saw him walking around in the neighborhood less than a week ago.

"He was very quiet, played hoops in the afternoon, walked around, never had any friends over," the neighbor said. 

The FBI and Arizona State Attorney General's office served search warrants at Khan's homes in Tucson and Chandler last Friday, before taking him into custody.

Khan faces two felony counts of conspiracy to commit terrorism and inciting or inducing terrorism. Court records are still sealed. Mia Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Arizona attorney general's office, said Khan was accused of conspiring to plot against government buildings in Pima and Maricopa counties.

A former classmate, who attended Catalina Foothills High School with Khan, said he had befriended the young man, but felt uneasy after a few incidents that raised some red flags.

"Anytime you hear something about the Middle East, he'd get mad and say how much he did not like America," the classmate said. "It was not long after that, he was beginning to tag me on Facebook on all these calls to Jihad posts, and stuff for radicalized Islam."

The former classmate said he reported the posts to Facebook and to the high school.

ABC15 has learned that Khan's family is originally from Pakistan.

Neighbors said that although he was quiet and anti-social, they did not believe the soft spoken man was capable of terrorism-related charges.

"I want to know the full story. A lot of times charges are laid then rescinded, so I'd like to see what they have,” a neighbor said.

Garcia said court records in this case could be unsealed as early as Wednesday. Khan is expected to appear in court Friday morning.