FBI arrests Chicago-area man accused of planning to join al-Qaida-linked militants in Syria

Published January 13, 2015

The FBI has arrested an 18-year-old suburban Chicago man who U.S. authorities say was planning join an al-Qaida-affiliated group operating in Syria.

The FBI says Abdella Ahmad Tounisi (ab-DUH'-lah AH'-med too-NEE'-see), of Aurora, Ill., was arrested Friday night as he tried to board a flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Turkey.

Tounisi, a U.S. citizen, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to the criminal complaint, Tounisi carried out research online about Jabhat al-Nusrah, or Nursa Front. Nusra Front is the most effective rebel faction fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. The group is affiliated with al-Qaida in Iraq.

The FBI says a bureau employee posing as a recruiter for the group exchanged emails with the suspect.

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