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Prosecutors Seek Maximum Sentence in Chicago Terrorism Case

by Associated Press

   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 al-Assad's regime in Syria.

   They requested the sentence in a court filing Thursday for Abdella
   Ahmad Tounisi, 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.