October 06, 2017 - 5:23 AM
CHICAGO - Prosecutors want the maximum 15-year prison term for a young Chicago-area man who sought to join an al-Qaida-linked group fighting Bashar Assad's regime in Syria.
They requested the sentence in a court filing Thursday for Abdella Ahmad Tounisi's (too-NEE'-see), who was 18 when arrested in an FBI internet sting in 2013. He has pleaded guilty to attempting to offer material support to foreign terrorists.
Tounisi's lawyers want a seven-year term. They say their client felt isolated as a Muslim in the U.S. and that his decision to travel to Syria reflected his immaturity. They insist he's tried to change since then.
Prosecutors say Tounisi persisted even after a friend was arrested on terrorism charges in 2012, and after relatives expressed concern about his interest in Syria.
Sentencing is Oct. 19.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017