U.S. Army veteran joins al Qaeda-linked group after months of fighting with rebel forces in Syria



A U.S. Army veteran says he has joined an offshoot of al Qaeda after spending several months fighting alongside Syrian rebel forces.

Eric Harroun, 30, of Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra in part because of his fascination with the conflict in the Middle East.



His story will undoubtedly infuriate the hundreds of thousands of service men and women who have risked their lives on the battlefields fighting al Qaeda, only to learn that he never actually served overseas for the United States, and has picked up disability pay for years before going over to fight for the terrorist-backed organization.



'Getting into al-Nusra is not rocket science,' he said. 'It just takes balls and brains.'

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Eric Harroun (right), a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, has joined al Qaeda alias Jabhat al-Nusra after months of fighting with Syrian rebels

Eric Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was dishcharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle

Harroun, who is known among Syrian rebels and loyalists as 'The American,' joined the U.S. Army in 2000 and he was discharged with full disability pay for an injury in 2003 without ever having seen battle, according to his father.

He was injured while riding in a pickup truck that hit a tree and he now has a steel plate in his head, his father Darryl Harroun told Fox .



'Now he has mood swings and what-not,' he said. 'He was already suffering from depression before that, and the accident just kind of multiplied it,' the elder Mr Harroun said he frequently talks to his son by phone.



He said he doesn't agree with what Eric is doing but can't get him to stop.

Rebel fighting: In his time working for the U.S. army, Harroun never actually served in battle but earned his disability check because he was hit in a car crash on a base

'Hero:' Harroun revels in his 'hero' status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube vidoes of his bloody exploits in the Middle East

Religion: Harroun (right) describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists

'He just loves that part of the world,' his father said. 'We scratch our heads and wonder what the hell he's doing.



'I told him, "You're never going to change those people's minds over there." But he says they treat him like a hero.'

Eric's life has changed dramatically from the days when he worked at Artisan Mortgage company in Phoenix, Arizona from 2006 to 2008 where he described his job as finalizing 'applications for home loans or second mortgages,and a lot of other boring paperwork.'

Domestic life: Before going overseas, Harroun lived in this Phoenix, Arizona apartment building

Previous life: He worked at Artisan Mortgage Company from 2006 to 2008 finalizing second mortgages 'and alot of other boring paperwork'

Proud: Now he posts pictures as he holds machine guns and dressed in army fatigues while in Syria

Eric Harroun revels in his 'hero' status and brags on Facebook and in YouTube videos of his bloody exploits in the Middle East.



His Facebook page is littered with photos of himself brandishing handguns, rifles, mortars and other weaponry.

'He says they treat him like a hero.'



-Eric's father Darryl Harroun says



In a photo of himself holding a mortar in one hand and a rifle in the other that he posted on Facebook, he writes, 'Lol Army of Darkness, This is my BOOM STICK. Lol.'



A lit cigarette hangs out of his mouth in the image and in a similar photo featuring a sniper rifle, where he writes, 'Ready to tear Bashar Al-Assads [sic] Army and the Shabehah apart!!'

He describes himself as a Sunni Muslim on Facebook and writes about his hatred of Israel and Zionists. Under his 'Favorite Quotations' section of his profile he writes, 'The only good Zionist is a dead Zionist.'



The Syrian rebel group Amr ibn al-'Aas Brigade told Fox that 'The American' was working with them until last month - about the time he reportedly joined Al-Nusra

Harroun's father said he fears for his son's safety and has little doubt that he will lose him battles abroad

Early on: Harroun appears to have been in Cairo's Tehir Square at the time of the Arab Spring in 2011

In a YouTube video uploaded in mid-January, Harroun warns Assad that his days are 'numbered.'

'Bashar Assad, your days are numbered,' he says in the video, where he is surrounded by several rebel fighters.



'You are going down in flames. You should just quit now, while you can, and leave. You are going to die, no matter what. Where you go we will find you and kill you. Do you understand?'

At another point, he changed his Facebook status to read that he was 'LMAO at Bashar Al-Assads Speech today!!!!!'



The Syrian rebel group Amr ibn al-’Aas Brigade told Fox that 'The American' was working with them until last month - about the time he reportedly joined al-Nusra.

Harroun's father said he fears for his son's safety and has little doubt that he will lose him battles abroad.