By Daniel White
Mohamad Jamal Khweis, an American former ISIS fighter, appeared in an interview after defecting from the group.
In the footage Khweis, the 26-year-old American born son of Palestinian immigrants, claims that he realized he does not agree with the group’s ideology after leaving for Europe in December to join.
“I don’t see them as good Muslims,” the man identified as Khweis said in a heavily edited interview on Kurdistan 24, a local broadcast station. Khweis was captured by the Kurds after fleeing from the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, where he says he spent only a month after a long journey through Europe, Turkey and into Syria to join ISIS.
Watch footage of the interview above.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com