The Bronx man said he had quit his job and paid off his debts, all in preparation for flying to Europe and making his way to Syria to join the Islamic State, the authorities said on Thursday.

But the man, Saddam Mohamed Raishani, did not make his flight: He was arrested at Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday night, the authorities said, after passing through security and attempting to board a flight to Lisbon, from where he was to fly to Istanbul.

Mr. Raishani, 30, was charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization and was detained pending further proceedings in Federal District Court in Manhattan.

Mr. Raishani, a trained nurse who once worked in a hospital and until recently worked for a home care provider, told one person that “while it would be difficult leaving his wife and child to join the Islamic State, he knew that he was making the right choice,” according to a criminal complaint filed by the office of Joon H. Kim, the acting United States attorney in Manhattan.