Madison Ruppert: An 18-year-old man attempting to join the Syrian rebels was arrested
by the FBI at the Chicago airport for allegedly planning to engage in
terrorism in Syria. Meanwhile, the United States government has pledged $123 million in military aid to rebel forces in Syria.
Abdella Ahmad Tounisi tried to join Jabhat al-Nusra after discovering an FBI-created fake recruiting page for the group. As per usual, Tounisi’s only interaction was with an undercover FBI agent, according to AFP.
Given al-Nusra’s now open affiliation with al Qaeda in Iraq, some in the Syrian opposition have made clear attempts to push themselves away from the group.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Salim Idris, for example, told Turkish Hurriyet Daily News, “We don’t give al-Nusra any kind of weapons and we don’t cooperate with al-Nusra.”
This approach is hardly consistent and appears to be largely due to the political problems with openly praising and working with an al Qaeda affiliate.
Furthermore, the Telegraph reported in December that while, “Jabhat al-Nusra remains separate from the Free Syrian Army, many FSA leaders now recognise its strength and order their forces to cooperate with it.”
It’s not hard to see why Idris would claim non-cooperation with the group at this point, but to pretend that has been some kind of long standing approach is simply laughable.
Similarly, in December, President of the Syrian National Coalition Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib called on the U.S. to reconsider the classification of al-Nusra as a terrorist organization simply because they’re fighting Assad.
Interestingly, according to a criminal complaint filed against Tounisi, the teen was friends with Adel Daoud, a man who attempted and failed to detonate a bomb outside of a bar in Chicago.
The complaint stated that he did not participate, “in part because he correctly guessed that Daoud was working with an undercover agent,” according to AFP.
Tounisi was arrested when attempting to board a plane bound for Istanbul, Turkey from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The complaint stated that an undercover FBI agent “gave him a bus ticket for travel from Istanbul to Gaziantep, Turkey, near the border with Syria,” according to Reuters.
Tounisi now faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted, simply for attempting to join the wrong rebel organization.
If Tounisi was attempting to join another rebel organization – one of those openly supported by the U.S. – it seems unlikely that he would be facing similar charges.
However, even if he were to join one of the others, he would be joining a group that in the past openly supported al-Nusra, even if they pretend to be at odds with each other now.
Abdella Ahmad Tounisi tried to join Jabhat al-Nusra after discovering an FBI-created fake recruiting page for the group. As per usual, Tounisi’s only interaction was with an undercover FBI agent, according to AFP.Given al-Nusra’s now open affiliation with al Qaeda in Iraq, some in the Syrian opposition have made clear attempts to push themselves away from the group.
Free Syrian Army (FSA) chief Salim Idris, for example, told Turkish Hurriyet Daily News, “We don’t give al-Nusra any kind of weapons and we don’t cooperate with al-Nusra.”
This approach is hardly consistent and appears to be largely due to the political problems with openly praising and working with an al Qaeda affiliate.
This is especially true when it comes to continuing to receive massive support and military assistance from Western countries, as the opposition does.
Indeed, in December of 2012 a total of 29 opposition groups pledged their allegiance to al-Nusra.Furthermore, the Telegraph reported in December that while, “Jabhat al-Nusra remains separate from the Free Syrian Army, many FSA leaders now recognise its strength and order their forces to cooperate with it.”
It’s not hard to see why Idris would claim non-cooperation with the group at this point, but to pretend that has been some kind of long standing approach is simply laughable.
Similarly, in December, President of the Syrian National Coalition Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib called on the U.S. to reconsider the classification of al-Nusra as a terrorist organization simply because they’re fighting Assad.
Interestingly, according to a criminal complaint filed against Tounisi, the teen was friends with Adel Daoud, a man who attempted and failed to detonate a bomb outside of a bar in Chicago.
The complaint stated that he did not participate, “in part because he correctly guessed that Daoud was working with an undercover agent,” according to AFP.
Tounisi was arrested when attempting to board a plane bound for Istanbul, Turkey from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The complaint stated that an undercover FBI agent “gave him a bus ticket for travel from Istanbul to Gaziantep, Turkey, near the border with Syria,” according to Reuters.
Tounisi now faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted, simply for attempting to join the wrong rebel organization.
If Tounisi was attempting to join another rebel organization – one of those openly supported by the U.S. – it seems unlikely that he would be facing similar charges.
However, even if he were to join one of the others, he would be joining a group that in the past openly supported al-Nusra, even if they pretend to be at odds with each other now.
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