Taking part in jihad could mean a few different things, down to “spreading the gospel” such as it is. Jihad is not necessarily armed or violent. As for “belonging to a terrorist group,” I’m not sure how stating an allegiance to a non-state actor is a crime. It is a crime to provide “material support,” but that’s it. Given the US government’s wide latitude to designate anyone down to Nicaraguan Juggalos a “terrorist group,” I’m not comfortable giving them the power to sweep the rug out from under anyone who has done nothing more than talk.
I’m not saying that ISIS (an organization so extreme it gives Al-Qaeda the heebie-jeebies) is so great and fantastic and this man is made of teddy-bears and rainbows; I’m just saying that the standard for the US government to conduct a search should be a smidge higher.
