SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An Iraqi man bragged about his experience fighting in Syria and the skills he developed as a teenage insurgent as he urged a fellow Iraqi refugee in the U.S. to join him in what both hoped would be martyrdom, according to documents filed in federal court.

Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento described his experience fighting against Syrian government soldiers in heroic terms and promised in 2013 he would train Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan of Houston in how to use weapons and sneak into Syria to join the fight, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed in federal court in Sacramento.

The two Iraqi-born Palestinians used social media to discuss their plans, according to federal authorities. The communications provided the link that led to terrorism-related charges against the men this week.

Al-Jayab faces up to eight years in prison on charges of traveling to Syria to fight and lying to U.S. authorities about his travels. Al-Hardan is charged with attempting to provide material support for terrorists.

There is no allegation the two were planning an attack in the U.S., nor is it clear how the two met online.

The criminal complaint against Al-Jayab recounts a series of communications with different people, none of whom is identified. One called “Individual I” is Al Hardan, according to Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney in Sacramento.

Court documents rely heavily on Al-Jayab’s social media communication, most of which is in Arabic.

Copy the Story Link