Adam Shafi came to the FBI’s attention after he and his family traveled to Egypt, where Shafi disappeared for two days. He later told his family and the FBI that he traveled to Turkey to see the conditions of Syrian refugees. Court-approved intercepts of Shafi’s communications found that he had communicated about traveling to Syria to join the Nusra Front. In June 2015, Shafi purchased a one-way ticket from San Francisco to Turkey. At the airport, a passenger reported that he was acting suspiciously. He was interviewed by FBI agents and later released. After his release, Shafi called a family member and said the FBI was asking if he was going to join “one of those groups in Syria.” Shafi added: “What kind of idiot would say yes?” Shafi was later arrested.