(CNN) -- Authorities have charged a 21-year-old Hawaii man with "making false statements in a matter involving international terrorism," the U.S. Justice Department said.
The charge centers around a one-way ticket that authorities allege Abdel Hameed Shehadeh purchased from New York City to Islamabad, Pakistan.
Shehadeh originally told investigators that the purpose of his trip was to visit an Islamic university and attend a friend's engagement party. But he later admitted to FBI agents in Hawaii that he bought the ticket in order to join a fighting group such as the Taliban, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Monday in New York.