Spy story
'I was a spy'
Spy stories, by their nature, are often unverifiable, and government officials typically are loath to discuss such accounts. Indeed, a bureau spokesman said he could not "confirm or deny" any part of the story. The CIA, the police and the US attorney's office in Brooklyn also declined to comment.

Skoro, during several hours of interviews at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey and by phone, showed a deep command of people, places and other facts.

His wife and three children, all US citizens, live in New York City. He said he still had much to offer the authorities. "I dealt with the most ruthless, dangerous terrorists in the Balkans and Middle East," he said.

A practising Muslim, he said others of his faith should be willing to covertly assist in the fight against ISIS. He suggested that his detention would send the opposite message. Muslims, he said, would ask: "How we can trust our government when you're going to put the spies in the prison?"