tonight's breaking news, a syrian opposition group is claiming that a second nern in addition to douglas mcarthur mccain was killed in syria while fighting for isis. they didn't identify the second american isis fighter or give any evidence of the death. to most of us, what douglas mcarthur mccain did was unthinkable and unkpre uncomprehensible. what could possibly make someone join a terrorist group that wants to kill americans. and not just any terror group, isis. tactics so brutal, that even al qaeda has distanced themselves from them. as we've reported, u.s. officials estimate that dozens of americans have tried to join isis and other groups in syria. jason carroll has more tonight on some of these american jihadis. >> reporter: they may come from different backgrounds, but they're all americans, who ended up embracing a radical ideology that drove all of them into the arms of terrorist organizations. one of the first to make headlines, john walker lynn. this was lynn in 2001, after american soldiers captured him fight alongside the taliban. he was born in washington, d.c., and converted to islam at

douglas mcarthur mccain. he's not alone. the fbi says since june, 100 americans have joined isis inside syria. nbc's tracie potts is live if washington covering it for us. good morning to you, tracie. >> dara, good morning. as you can see we have americans on both sides of this and new overnight an interview video from a relative of douglas mcarthur mccain here in the united states who says her cousin is no terrorist. douglas mcarthur mccain is the first american killed while fighting with the jihadist group isis. his cousin insists mccain was not a terrorist. >> my cousin wouldn't support a terrorist group like that. any group like that. you know, he's a very humble, caring man. >> reporter: mccain grew up in chicago and minnesota. he was arrested nine times and converted to islam. he even tweeted about joining isis overseas. syrian rebels backed by the u.s. killed him last weekend. now military surveillance planes are flying over iraq, trying to identify which isis member beheaded american journalist james foley. >> i'm af

his name was douglas mcarthur mccain. he was an american, and he still has family right here in the u.s. in california. but douglas mccain met his death far from these shores in war torn syria. a convert to islam who found himself drawn to the jihadist cause. a u.s. official says the u.s. believes he was fighting for isis when he died, the terrorist group and he was not alone. dozens of other americans are believed to have taken a similar path. there's a real fear that those who escape death, unlike douglas mccain, could use their passports to come back to the usa. and kill their fellow americans. let's bring in our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. jim, how did douglas mcarthur mccain end up as a dead ji hattist in syria? >> it's an incredible story, remarkable down to that all-american name, douglas mcarthur mccain. i spoke with his uncle a short time ago, kenneth. the family is devastated, just as surprised as the country is right now. he gave me a little bit of the sense of the evolution. mccain was ra

as we reported last night douglas mcarthur mccain is the first american to die fighting with i.s.i.s. we have more about him and a place he and other americans were recruited. >> reporter: the cedar riverside neighborhood in minneapolis is sometimes called little magadishu, the largest community of so mallees and recruiting new fighters. douglas mcarthur mccain grew up just a 15-minute drive from here and had many contacts in the somali community. >> he was not targeted. he was quiet. a lot of things on his mind, you can tell. >> reporter: omar jamal said he met mccain briefly. the community leader told us as many as 40 other young men'ath7@Ñ4ñ al-shabaab in somalia. >> if you guys only knew how much fun we have over here. this is a real disneyland. >> reporter: it's now not just young men according to another community activist. >> (indiscernible) but we are aware about the message they were sending the last few months over the internet recruiting young women to be married off to the jihadists. >> reporter: that's got to be terrifying for parents. >> it's terrifying. it's really sca

douglas mcarthur mccain is the first american to die fighting with i.s.i.s. jamie yuccas in minneapolis has more about him at the place he and other americans were recruited. >> reporter: the cedar riverside neighborhood of minneapolis is sometimes called little mogadishu, the center of america's largest concentration of somalis and fertile ground for islamic terrorist groups recruiting fighters. douglas mcarthur mccain grew up just a 15-minute drive from here and had many contacts in the somali community. >> he was not targeted. he was quiet and a lot of things on his mind, you can tell. >> reporter: omar jamal said he met mccain briefly but said most people here denounce terrorist organizations. the community leader said as many as 40 young men from minneapolis joined islamic fighters after being pulled in by jihadists on the web. >> they're using any means available to a computer system. >> reporter: mccain gave hints his recent conversion turned militant. troy posted a recruiting video in 2009 before he was killed fighting for terrorist group al- shabaab

i want to ask you this quickly, we are learning more today about douglas mcarthur mccain, one killeds weekend by isis. listen how his friend describe him to the washington post. a good ball. gun g fun guy to be around. just a regular american kid. how does someone go from being a regular american kid to fighting for isis half way around the world? >> i think the thing that we need to deal with, and it is very hard, is that isis is a dramatic force. disrupting and changing the rules of the road in the region. and it is highly attractive to not only people like douglas mcarthur mccain but also there's a story of a ginger -- a red-haired, bearded, chechen commander who has gone in, who is also sort of a loser. someone who lost his way. who came in, has been one of the most horrific commanders inside isis. so you have people from all around the world who become thrill seekers who define themselves, who see themselves as having an opportunity inside this horror to feel validated. and that's not only a testament of them themselves, it is also kind of a statement on how people are getting l

a man named douglas mcarthur mccain.ichard angle has been covering the developments, he joins me this morning from new york, and richard, this issue of americans joining the fight. i know this is primarily, you could argue more of a western european issue of these folks that have been joining the fight, but there are some americans there, we now know of one because he's been killed. how many other douglas mcarthur mccains are there? >> u.s. officials say there's between 70 and 100 that they know about. people that have cycled through syria to join isis or other similar islamic militant groups. with about a dozen, perhaps two dozen in the country at any one time. and we've been following this case of douglas mcarthur mccain, what a name, we heard that he was killed a couple of days ago. fsa, the rebels, the moderate rebels we used to report about, the people that the u.s. considered freedom fighters with hoping we're going to topple bashar al-assad. they killed three foreign fighters and one had an american passport in hi

pamela brown joins me from san diego, where douglas mcarthur mccain went to school. do we know how long law enforcement were keeping track of mccain? >> reporter: well, anderson, law enforcement officials say authorities first became aware of douglas mccain back in the early 2000s because of his association with someone that authorities were interested in at that time. but back they bn, there was notg linking mccain to anything nefarious. but sources do tell me over the years, mccain had several different soerkts that authorities were aware of, including one person, a friend from minneapolis, who actually traveled to somalia and was killed there, apparently by committing jihad. and authorities say in this case, with mccain, that they were aware that he might be planning to travel over to syria and they became increasingly concerned once they learned after the fact that he had traveled to turkey, the gateway into syria, they were able to glean some information from some of his associates in minneapolis and that made him the subject of scrutiny. just in the past few mon

was this guy, douglas mcarthur mccain, on a u.s. government watch list?about what we know and don't know. can i check in ninto that. that appears to be the case. we don't post what we know and don't know. >> you say about a hundred, in syria, or are they all actually moving from syria into iraq? >> we judge up to a hundred may have gone to syria to join extremist groups. we don't know how many cross the boreder from syria into iraq. that is something we are very focused on. as you know, we are taking action against isil inside iraq already. >> you might take direct action against isis, or isil, whatever you want it call it, in syria as well. the u.s. president authorized surveillance lights look over at the potential targets. how close is the u.s. now to launching airstrikes against isis or isil targets in syria? >> well, the president hasn't made a decision yet. the defense department maintains a plan of options and has presented those to president. >> what openings -- >> we are having a constant conversation inside the administration about what options

douglas mcarthur mccain.e was a convert to islam, his family was told of his death yesterday. he's not the only young american to go down this path. in may, a 22-year-old american from florida died when he carried out a suicide bombing in syria. that's him enjoying the front after converting to islam. in a martyrdom video, he's seen tearing up and burning his u.s. passport and urging others to join the fight. there's also adam gadahn who became a translator and spokesman for al qaeda. u.s. intelligence officials believe that as dos of americans may have now joined isis to fight against the u.s. and other western countries. jim sciutto joins me now with the latest. you've spoken to this man's uncle. were they aware of what he was doing? >> they said they were not aware. in fact, he told me today, they were devastated and just as surprised as the country when they got the phone call yesterday from the state department, saying that their son, their nephew, had gone there to fight. he said, listen, he was brought

douglas mcarthur mccain. and this great american is back home.reunited with his family after two years held hostage in syria and he is speaking out for the first time. and who should oversee the education of our children, the feds or states? one governor sued the obama administration over common core. >> and first, as the white house considers how to handle the threat of isis in syria, a second humanitarian mission could get underway in iraq. welcome to second hour of

the administration has confirmed douglas mcarthur mccain, was the first american killed fighting for the isis cause. american journalist steven sotlov who -- sotlov's mother made a direct emotional appeal to the isis leader. >> as a mother, i ask the justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. i asked you to use your authority to spare his life and to follow the example set by the profit mohammed who protected people of the book. >> it's against this backdrop that has president obama weighing what to expand the u.s. air strike campaign to islamic targets in syria. urging him to have congress vote on whether to give the president authorizization to expand the military mission. let's bring in nbc's -- who joins us from our london bureau. two american citizens are now believed to have been killed fighting for isis in syria. there may be dozens of other isis fighters in syria? >> we also have a video that was put out by isis that was also responsible for a suicide bombing that was believed to be a syrian military outpost. that video was released by is

martha: we have this shocking example of this man douglas mcarthur mccain ironically who was killed on battlefield in syria. we hear from her cousin who says she can't believe he would be involved in anything like this. but this is bun individual. we see a portrait of potentially so many more. what do you make of it? >> i make of it decisions have consequences. this is a feckless foreign policy that aloud this situation to deteriorate. you can go back to our failure to leave a residual force behind which we could have no matter what is now being said by the administration. decision not attack syria after the chemical weapons usage. by the way, there is evidence of chlorine gas usage by bashar al-asaad. we need to have airstrikes, we need to help the free syrian army, when need to help the kurds and assist a re canadian sill yaition went sunni and the new fast. the president needs to tell us what the strategy is. two interesting events took place this week. one was the ceasefire between israel and hamas. no american involvement. attacks by uae in egypt, air attacks against the islamists

. >> douglas mcarthur mccain. >> we already have citizens getting radicalized. >> grew up in minnesota. >> that's not who he is. >> loved basketball. >> he's not isis. >> breaking new details this morning as mission creep spreads in syria and congress is nowhere to be found. >>> we need to look under every bush. we need to look under every rock. >> and 23-year-old american student aaron sofer. >> i have one message, please bring back my brother. >> reporter: missing in jerusalem. his father combing the forest for his son, speaking to cnn this morning. >> we never give up hope. we're always hopeful. >>> also close call. >> he was real close. >> reporter: near collision. cnn investigation showing they doubled last year. on the ground. >> stop your turn. >> reporter: and in the air. how safe are you? let's talk, live in the "cnn newsroom." >>> and good morning to you. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. militant fighter dies on a distant battlefield, giving his life for a group that's both savage and devoted to the destruction of america, yet he is an american, and the e

. >> let's take a closer look at douglas mcarthur mccain. >> we have more disturbing information on this man this morning from u.s. officials. one official says counterterrorism investigators had been looking into his activities for some time before his death, and we have other details now on mccain's did he go and on other americans who have joined isis. >> douglas mcthu are mccain is thought to have been killed in a battle between rival extremist groups near the city of aleppo. his uncle tells us his death occurred over the week. >> now you have a confirmed example of an american killed, fighting with isis in syria. >> u.s. counterterrorism authorities were investigating him for some time before his death. he was on a list of americans believe to have joined militant groups and who would be subject to additional scrutiny if they scrafled tsh traveled. >> u.s. officials have told cnn that more than 100 americans have gone to fight with terrorist groups. a handful have fought with isis in iraq and syria. in a recent video, this man is referred to by isis as an american. he calls on musli

. >> mark: douglas mcarthur mccain made facebook posts sympathetic to isis, but his family never imaginede would become a jihadi. >> mark: mccain converted to islam several years ago. >> mark: he traveled to turkey, several months ago. >> mark: british observers say he died in syria during a battle between rival extremist groups near aleppo. >> mark: and an american journalist freed by militants in syria on sunday is now back home in the u-s. >> mark: these are pictures of peter curtis with his mother. >> mark: his release came just days after isis militants executed fellow journalist james foley. >> mark: curtis was held for 22 months by fighters believed to be connected with the al qaeda affiliated al-nusra >> mark: the government of qatar helped win his release, but >> reporter: a revival of the 19 and 96 for house is in the early stages of development. the show average 1.15 american viewers. hipfor house was a front runner on the t g i s line up. oand though i liked for house i'm crossing my fingers for family matters. >> darya: still ahead with the pink of these peace cigarettes. ...

today, new details emerged about the background of this american, douglas mcarthur mccain, killed fighting for isis in syria over the weekend. it turns out mccain's high school in suburban minneapolis, the robbinsdale cooper school, brought together at least two midwestern boys who went on to become terrorists. this family photo shows mccain on the left, and on the right, his high school class meat and friend, troy kastigar, who later died fighting for the al qaeda group in somalia. >> there was no indication while they were students of ours that they would turn to violence. >> reporter: could there be a third jihadist from the high school. this video of a syrian militant shows the gunman wearing a sweat shirt that sauce cooper hawks, the lettering of the high school athletic mascot, the hawks. as steve sotloff's mother awaits word on the fate of her son, the u.s. announced today it had carried out three more air strikes against isis, clearly ignoring the terrorist threat to kill sotloff if the bombing continued. >> with the very latest as always, thank you brian. >>> now we turn to anothe

>> 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain had gone to syria to join the isis jihad. >> jon: mccain! [laughter] so wait a minute. they're recruiting americans? >> he grew up in minnesota, and nothing on his phase become page hints why he decided to sacrifice his life for jihad. mccain's likes included pizza hut, the chicago bulls and the koran. >> jon: so isis is an unstoppable force of evil that's been using things like youtube to recruit hungry chicago bulls fans to fight for them. but for what purpose? >> a muslim caliphate, a single islamic state. >> everything about the caliph's outfit is meant to evoke the early islamic empire. >> jon: they want a caliphate, much like the empire ruled by the umayyads's in the seventh and eighth centuries. i hope you notified your recruits that life in the caliphate will be less pizza hut and more hut. [laughter] but setting aside the historical authenticity of isis methods, why exactly do you want your own country? you seem quite adapt at the depraved killing part. are you really prepared to do the little things you need to do to run a function

officials believe 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain died fighting alongside isis militants in syria over the weekend. rebels trying to expel the terrorist group say mccain died during a fight near aleppo, and they found a u.s. passport in his pocket. using the twitter name duale khalid, mccain praised isis and defended jihad. he said he converted to islam ten years ago. a high school friend from minneapolis said this was not the guy she knew. >> he was silly. he was a trickster. he was a class clown. he just always could make everyone laugh. >> a u.s. official says mccain was on a u.s. terror watch list. his death is shining a spotlight on foreigners in syria that have joined militant groups, dozens of them believed to be americans. the u.s. is now conducting surveillance flights over syria, gathering intelligence ahead of possible air strikes against isis. >> we will do what's necessary to capture those who harm americans, and we'll continue to take direct action where needed to protect our people and to defend our homeland. >> isis already beheaded a u.s. journalist in syria and i

citizen, douglas mcarthur mccain died fighting alongside the terrorists over the weekend. militant groups are said to be using facebook twitter and all other social media groups to recruit westerners. >> there are 1,000 fighters from up to 50 countries who have traveled to syria to take up arms alongside isil. >> reporter: the white house is considering taking military action against the militants in syria. isis has taken americans hostage including journalist steven sotlof. >> i am shirley sotlof. my son is in your hands. >> reporter: she made this video begging for mercy. >> i want what every mother wants. to see your children's children. he plead with you to grant me this. >> reporter: isis threatened to kill sotlof in the same video of the beheading of james foley. on tuesday lawmakers from both parties called for debate and vote in congress to authorize the president to take military action in iraq and syria. anne-marie. >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. >>> a former hostage peter theo curtis said he had no idea so many people put so much effort into

it appears douglas mcarthur mccain was not alone. this morning there are reports a second american has been killed fighting with isis militants in syria. the concern -- >> foreign fighters can go over, there get radicalized and get equipped and trained and come back to their homeland. >> the u.s. believes 100 americans may have joined isis, the beheading of james foley raised concern about another american hostage. his mother made a direct appeal to islamic leaders. >> as a mother, i ask you to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. i ask you to use your authority to spare his life. >> reporter: the white house says they're working to bring him home but will not pay ransom. >> it only serves to allow the terrorist organizations to finance their operations and only puts greater risk the lives of other americans. >> reporter: peter thee owe curtis is now home. he was held by different group in syria linked to al qaeda. >> i had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea that so much effort was being expe

including this 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain. troubled as a teen, nine run-ins with a law, a muslim convert killed sunday in this fire fight in syria. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: he wasn't alone. u.s. law enforcement officials tell nbc news another american, also a member of isis, was apparently killed as well. he's still being identified. u.s. officials estimate 70 to 100 americans have gone to syria to join isis or other militant groups. >> but when we talk about the potential immediacy of the threat of isil, that's one of the factors that we're talking about. this idea that foreign fighters could go over there, get radicalized, get equipped, get trained and come back to hair homelands. >> reporter: earlier this month isis butchered american journalist james foley and threatened to do the same to another american hostage, reporter steven sotloff. >> steven has no control over the actions of the u.s. government. he's an innocent journalist. >> reporter: sotloff's mother posted a video on arab media appealing directly to the isis le

. >> it appears douglas mcarthur mccain was not alone. this morning there are reports a second american has been killed fighting with isis militants in syria. the concern? >> foreign fighters could go over there, get radicalized, get equipped, get trained and come back to their homeland. >> reporter: the u.s. believes as many as 100 americans may have joined isis. the beheading of james foley raised concerns about another hostage. >> as a mother i ask your justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. i ask you to use your authority to spare his life. >> the white house says they're working to bring him home but will not pay ransom. >> it only serves to allow the terrorist organizations to finance their operations. it only puts at greater risk the lives of other american civilians. >> peter theo curtis is now home. he was held by darcht radical group in syria linked to al qaeda. >> i had no idea when i was in prison, i had no idea that so much effort was extended on my behalf. >> the administration is no

douglas mcarthur mccain.they are believed to be using shed to recruit westernest -- social media to recruit westerners to fight. >> up to 50 countries who have traveled to syria to take up arms alongside isil. >> reporter: the white house is considering taking military action against islamic militants in syria. isis has taken americans hostage including journalist stephen sotloff. >> i and you to please release my child. >> reporter: his mother releasthed is video begging his captors to have mercy. >> i want what every mother wants. to live to see her children's children. i plead with you to grant me this. >> reporter: isis threatened to kill sotloff in the same video the group released last week showing the beheading of american james foley. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. >> the sister of boston marathon suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev is facing charges connected to an alleged bomb threat. it was reportedly directed at her boyfriend's former girlfriend. that woman who has a child with sar never's boyfriend

a third american, troy castigar attended with douglas mcarthur mccain and he was also killed fighting in somalia in 2009. a sweatshirt with that logo has been seen in videos from the frontline. although, americans are not the only ones fighting overseas. the decisionmakers inside the u.s. intel community are worried about. >> the truth is isis is a growing threat to the united states. you heard some of the numbers. don't forget pout canada. they believe there's as many as 500 canadians fighting. you're just a car ride away from driving across that border and doing something to the united states. >> it's not just men from minnesota that isis wants. the militants are also now apparently trying to convince women to join the fight overseas as well. back to you in new york. >> peter doocy with the live report. that's troubling to think three american high school guys grew up and wound up to work for the other side. that's also, you combine that with our lead story about how they are picking up this additional chatter in chance of 9/11. what we've seen in the last couple of years are lone w

. >> reporter: he grew up in minnesota, a basketball fan named douglas mcarthur mccain. he had minor scrapes with the law, but by the time he died last weekend fighting alongside isis in syria, mccain was an american terrorist known as duale. rebel fighters seeking to expel isis from syria say mccain was killed during this battle near aleppo. a u.s. passport was reportedly found in one of his pockets. he had often praised isis and defended jihad. in may he tweeted: the 33-year-old, who was once an aspiring rapper, wrote: according to social media, mccain reportedly spent time as a worker at this san diego restaurant and attended this mosque. mccain's family knew he traveled to turkey around april of this year, but relatives say they were unaware of his interest in isis. one of his last re-tweets in june hinted at a growing radicalization. it read: sources say mccain was on u.s. terror watch lists, and also was known to the f.b.i. he was one of dozens of u.s. citizens who are believed to have linked up with terrorists in syria. rebel fighters say there's another american

the white house now confirms an american killed was fighting for isis in syria. 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain was an aspiring rapper who worked for an islamic non-profit group in san diego. now, he went to school in minnesota and had arrests for disorderly conduct and disruption. friends say he converted to islam around 2004. however, his cousin says he was not a terrorist. >> when i'm hearing that he was a jihadi and with the isis terrorist group, that's news to me and our family. like, we would never believe him to be involved in anything like this. my cousin wouldn't support a terrorist group like that, any group like that, you know? he's a very humble, caring man. like, i don't -- this is crazy. >> meanwhile, the u.s. says there is no chance it will coordinate with syria's government to launch air strikes in the country against isis. and president obama delivered a stern warning to the islamic state militants who beheaded american journalist james foley. >> america does not forget. our reach is long. we are patient. justice will be done. we have proved time and time again we will do what'

on his facebook page, 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain hardly appeared to be a dangerous jihadist. his likes included pizza hut, the chicago bulls and the koran. tonight the white house confirmed that mccain had been killed in syria bhiwhile fighti for the brutal terror group isis. in a twitter message earlier this year, mccain who converted to islam a decade ago, wrote stand strong, we will soon be one. a cousin said today mccain may have lost his way. >> i felt like he may have lost his identity because all of this is not him. >> reporter: an estimated 100 americans have been recruited to fight for jihadist groups in syria, including isis. >> i'm feeling like i'm still dreaming. i'm thinking like i'm in a dream world. >> reporter: earlier this summer the syrian al qaeda group said an american from florida carried out a suicide bomb attack for them and left behind this threatening video for fellow americans. >> you think you are safe. you are not safe. >> reporter: as brutal and outrageous as the killing of american journalist james foley was, isis presents an even greater threat

reports that douglas mcarthur mccain killed fighting for ice this syria over the weekend isn't alone.fighting alongside the group was killed. he has not yet been identified. and it is worth pointing out that mr. mccain died fighting for isis. jim foley, james foley was killed at the hands of isis and there curtis who lives here in cambridge, massachusetts, he was released by al nusra, a rival to ice this syria. it's a complicated situation and we hope mrs. sotloff's words are heard and that her son is soon freed. back to you. >> absolutely, a complicated dangerous web there. miguel marquez, thanks so much. alisyn? >> let's analyze that tape. we bring in philip mudd, a former cia counterterrorism official and cnn analyst. phil, i know that you don't want to provide too much in-depth analysis, because you don't want -- this is a dicey situation and you don't want to get in the way or compromise the negotiation, but let's go through it, if we can, a couple of portions of it. as you heard, shirley sotloff there, is referring to the head of isis, abu bakr al baghdadi as the caliph of the i

released photos of american douglas mcarthur mccain his passport and photos of his body were released and right now the u.s. says it's just a small handful of americans that they believe have taken up the cause and a lot of europeans are actually joining but do you do you think that's an accurate portrayal or do you think there's kind of more more to this or to this one thing the u.s. policy over the last you know thirteen years and maybe even further has created us and them groups and the unfortunate side effect is some people are sympathizing with the u.s. and i think ultimately if people are defecting from the u.s. and fighting and certainly not you know the first time this is happened but ultimately this is no way indicative of the american muslim community and i think that's an important point to stress i agree and i earlier today at a pentagon briefing when asked about how the u.s. is conducting operations against isis gen kirby said the following he says do you think we're we are authorized to act. from a military perspective. iraq and that's what we're doing but it doesn't mea

terrorist group most likely the islamic state formally known as isis he was thirty three year old douglas mcarthur mccain originally from san diego according to an activist linked to the free syrian army which saw his body mccain was among three foreign jihadi fighting with isis who died during the battle u.s. law enforcement and intelligence officials have long expressed concern about foreign fighters joining hardline jihad is in syria as to its very but most suspect the number of fighters with western. passports is in the thousands more than one hundred are thought to be americans officials have expressed concern that radicalized foreign fighters could one day import those influences once they were turned home in fact just last week federal authorities urge law enforcement across the country to be alert for possible attacks inside the u.s. and a joint bulletin the department of homeland security and the f.b.i. said because of the individual lies nature of the radicalization process it is difficult to predict triggers that will contribute to homegrown violent extremists attempting acts of violence they

according to reports, he died in the same battle as douglas mcarthur mccain. his death fighting with isis was reported earlier this week. mccain had been living insane crag but he grew up near indianapolis. community leaders say they have been recruiting young men to fight in syria. >>> it is a new way. coming up, how you can discreetly and definitely fine this. >> this is not the first time it happened and how police hope to catch whoever did it. >> good morning, we are still looking at traffic which is getting busier, it still looks good, we will tell you more about the south bay commute. >>> cooler pattern on monday and yesterday temperatures went well above and it looks a little cooler because there is more fog, we will tell you more coming up. bulldog: if you're like me, you've been working like a dog all year. but don't camp out 'til labor day to reward yourself. mattress discounters labor day sale ends monday! rest those tired bones on a queen size serta mattress and box spring set. right now, they're just $397. get 48 months interest-free financing on

douglas mcarthur mccain. and this great american is back home. theocurtis reunited with his family after two years held hostage in syria and he is speaking out for the first time. and who should oversee the education of our children, the feds or states? one governor sued the obama administration over common core. >> and first, as the white house considers how to handle the threat of isis in syria, a second humanitarian mission could get underway in iraq. welcome to second hour of "happening now". i am jon scott. >> and i am in heather nauert in for jenna leeh. >> the administration is starting to work to line up allies to fight the islamic terrorist. we have a briefing that is about to start. >> doug has more from the white house. doug? >> reporter: that's right, jon. washington is gearing up for return for business after labor day. there is tremendous pressure building on the president to come up with a long- term strategy to address the isis threat not only in iraq but syria as well. >> unless the president comes up with a strategy, and articul

they were aware of douglas mcarthur mccain one killed in syria and affiliation with isis.first reported by the presyrian army fighting against isis for control over eastern syria on twitter in june he told his isis contact he would be meeting them soon. plan knee lawmaker -- many law americas say we should be keeping closer tabs on those who could be a threat for the u.s. >> we should have no more visas from the middle east coming over to this area. we should say stop time-out

. >> reporter: the national security council confirmed the death of dig lak mc-- douglas mcarthur mccain. while the u.s. still says it's weighing its options, air strikes continued in frawk, destroying four islamic state vehicles near the mosul dam. that brings the number of air strikes in iraq this month to 110 and that's in addition to the humanitarian relief provided to the yazidi people. john. >> libby casey. >>> trained u.s. military personnel head of deployments in afghanistan and in pakistan and you are in washington tonight, welcome. frohana can you hear me? >> yes, i can. >> terrific. let me start by asking you this. do you sense that the islamic state needs in some way to strike the united states or the west soon? >> i don't think that -- i mean, as a white house officials have indicated, there certainly is no imminent threat to the united states this point. that doesn't mean there isn't grave concern. but i think that there has been a pattern of americans taking part in terrorist organizations dated as far back as is the sophie yesophiesoafyet. c. >> air strikes alone won't de

news of the first american fighting for the islamic state in syria. 33-year-old douglas mcarthur mccain was killed. it's unclear how exactly he came to join the islamic state, or what led him down that path. but friends and relatives struggle to reconcile his end with the man they knew. >> my cousin is not a terrorist. and this is the first that i've heard that he was connected to the jihadi or whatever. i think maybe my cousin could have lost his identity because that's not who he is. >> to them, he was a fun loving father and an aspiring rapper with lots of friends. family members say they knew he had traveled to turkey from california earlier this year but they were unaware he was fighting in syria a world away from his home in america. going by the name duali. this man whom mccain identified as a close friend, troy castagar, a convert to islam who died while fighting for al shabab insurgent. omar hamami rose in the ranks as a fearless commander and skilled prop bega todayist. propagandist. a 20-something american who grew.in florida. this an chur - group up in florida. >> then a hug

they were aware of douglas mcarthur mccain one killed in syria and affiliation with isis. it was first reported by the presyrian army fighting against isis for control over eastern syria on twitter in june he told his isis contact he would be meeting them soon. plan knee lawmaker -- many law americas say we should be keeping closer tabs on those who could be a threat for the u.s. >> we should have no more visas from the middle east coming over to this area. we should say stop time-out slow things down to make sure we aren't allowing people into this country that are harming us. >> the fbi says it is tracking those moving from the u.s. to syria. the institute security measures would help track people of interest. it cannot flag every person. >> it does bring home to us and it is a stark reminder of the real threat of foreign fighters inside organizations like isil. when we look at the mediacy of isil this is foreign fighters getting over there radicalized and potentially moving their way back to the home land. >> it is one of dozens of jihad 'tises taking up arms with extre

. >> reporter: he's an american with an all-american name douglas mcarthur mccain. this 33-year-old man from san diego went to fight and die in syria for isis. terror groups the u.s. officials call the gravest of threats. it was of a all an isis fighter who beheaded james foley. they were notified by the state department monday that he was killed over the weekend. his uncle kenneth told me, quote, we are devastated and we are just as surprised. he was raised christian but converted to islam. mccain had past run-ins in 2003 with possession of marijuana and suspended license. he was traveling to turkey a few months ago. that was the last they saw of him. this is the first american to die fighting as a jihadi. killed in may detonating a truck bomb near a syrian military base. he was seen tearing up his u.s. passport and urging others to join the fight. >> you think you are 1? >> he was fighting for al nusra, an al qaeda tied terror group. mccain is the first american known to be killed fighting for isis. more than 100 americans are fighting as jihad disin syria and mor

douglas mcarthur mccain, 33 years old. i spoke with his uncle earlier today and he confirmed that the family was notified in the last 24 hours that he was killed fighting as a jihadi in syria. the family is just as surprised that this is what his nephew went on to do. he was raised a christian. a number of years ago he converted to islam and at the time did not raise any issues with the family. the family respects all religions and did not know that he was going to fight in syria. douglas mccain told them that he was traveling to turkey. that he liked to travel. it was only when informed by the state department in the last 24 hours that he was going to fight as a jihadi in syria and that is, indeed, where he died over the weekend. it gets to an issue that u.s. officials and intelligent officials have been concerned about for months now. i've received a number of briefings on this. the threat with isis is not just to iraq and syria, as severe as there threat is. isis has been a magnet for more than 100 americans joining the

douglas mcarthur mccain and troy castigar struck up a friendship in new hope, minnesota, a suburb of minneapolis. while neither were raised muslim they had friends who were part of the somali immigrant community. eventually they both converted to islam. >> he grew to have like really strong muslim beliefs, so much to the fact where he was like almost like turning into a somalian because he had like a lot of somalian friends. >> kastigar's mother tries to explain how these two young men who played basketball together in high school ended up fighting together overseas. >> i think there was like wanting to have a -- you know, wanting to have a purpose and wanting to be a valuable high school and not finding that. >> kastigar was killed five years ago while fighting for al shabab. they made it clear they were trying to recruit more fighters like him. they were called the minnesota martyrs starred in this video. >> if you only knew how much fun we had here. this is the real disneylandment come here and join us. >> blow them up. >> take part in this fun and walk amongst the lions. >> repor