SACRAMENTO-
The National Guard clarified Tuesday that a San Joaquin County man facing terrorism charges never attended basic training, was never given a uniform, and never served as a soldier.
FOX40 and other media outlets reported Monday Nicholas Teausant was a member of the National Guard. The guard released a statement the following day saying Teausant’s discharge was pending at the time of his arrest in Washington.
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Teausant faces allegations he tried to join al-Qaida. The San Joaquin Delta College student was arrested near the Washington-Canada border, allegedly trying to get to Syria.
The statement from the National Guard reads, in part, “…although he enlisted with the Army National Guard in 2012, Nicholas Teausant failed to meet basic education requirements”.
Teausant reportedly wanted to join the guard as an officer, not as an enlisted private, and therefore needed to meet certain requirements. He was given an orientation, but no uniform and no pay.
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The National Guard tells FOX40 they did an extensive background check of Teausant at the time he enlisted in 2012 and they say nothing questionable popped up.