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Illinois Teen Indicted in FBI Terror Sting

HeadlineApr 24, 2013

An Illinois teenager is facing terrorism charges after being caught up in an online FBI sting. Eighteen-year-old Abdella Ahmad Tounisi is accused of trying to join an al-Qaeda-linked group through a fake website run by the FBI. He was arrested Friday at an airport in Chicago where he was allegedly seeking to begin his journey to Syria, where the group is fighting the government. Tounisi has been charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. But his arrest has raised new questions about whether FBI stings are ensnaring people who would otherwise be considered harmless. In an email to an FBI agent who posed as a recruiter, Tounisi allegedly confessed: “Concerning my fighting skills, to be honest, I do not have any.”

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