CHICAGO, May 3 (UPI) — A federal judge Thursday ordered house arrest for a Chicago teenager charged with planning to travel to Syria to fight with a terrorist group.
But Abdella Ahmed Tounisi’s release was delayed when federal prosecutors objected, the Chicago Tribune reported. Another judge was scheduled to revisit the question of bail Friday.
Tounisi, 18, was arrested at O’Hare International Airport on April 19. Investigators said he thought he was dealing with a Syrian terrorist group when he went on a website that had actually been created by the FBI.
Prosecutors say he is a flight risk and someone who has shown willingness to commit terrorist acts. His lawyer argued that he has surrendered his passport and has a close relationship with his family.
Magistrate Daniel Martin, who ruled Tounisi could be released under strict conditions of home confinement, called it a “close call.”
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