CHICAGO // It had the trappings of an actual extremist website: photos of gun-toting fighters and a flowery exhortation to "come and join your lion brothers ... fighting under the true banner of Islam".
Except, it wasn't what it seemed.
It was a sham site constructed and controlled by the FBI with the aim of snaring would-be terrorists in the virtual world before they could carry out real-world harm.
Abdella Ahmad Tounisi, 18, was arrested last week on a terrorism charge stemming from the sting operation. He made a brief court appearance on Tuesday in federal court in Chicago.
The American-born man from the Chicago suburb of Aurora is accused of seeking to join Al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat Al Nusrah, which is fighting the Syria's Bashar Al Assad regime in a bloody civil war.
Critics say the use of such sites raises questions about whether authorities are overreaching, wooing impressionable youth to contemplate crimes that otherwise wouldn't cross their minds.
"These sites can end up creating crimes," said Phil Turner, a former federal prosecutor-turned-defence attorney in Chicago. "Real terrorists don't need to go to a website for contacts. They have real contacts."
Federal investigators, he added, sometimes favor internet stings because they are less costly and labour intensive than traditional stakeouts.
"From your office computer, you can get millions of cases like this - sucking people in," he said. "But it diverts our attention from the real terrorists."
Others disagree.
Mike Fagel, a Chicago-based security consultant, asks who, if given the chance, wouldn't have wanted to catch the Boston Marathon bombing suspects plotting online before they successfully carried out an attack.
"These are valid tools," Fagel said. "As an emergency planner guy, if I can prevent something from happening, I don't have to worry about response and recovery."
And given how terrorism is evolving, the internet is a logical place to hunt for potential attackers, he added.
"We are seeing younger and younger assailants," he said. "And they operate on the internet."
Authorities have also noted that it's not visiting such sites or fantasising about acts of terrorism that's the crime. The crime is acting on those fantasies and taking specific steps to make it happen.
Tounisi's steps, authorities say, included trying to board a plane in Chicago.
He was arrested at O'Hare International Airport on Friday as he prepared to start the first leg of a trip that authorities allege he hoped would hook him up with an Al Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria.
Tounisi is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to foreign terrorists. If convicted, he faces a maximum 15-year prison term. His attorney, Molly Armour, declined comment.
Despite his orange jail garb and shackled ankles, Tounisi looked younger than his 18 years at his court appearance, during which a judge delayed a decision on bond. Later, he cast a worried look at his parents sitting nearby on a spectators' bench.
It was only weeks ago that he allegedly came across the website.
What he saw written across the home page, allegedly signaled to Tounisi that he had found what he'd been looking for. "A call for jihad in Syria," it said, in both English and Arabic.
The site not only offered to hook up would-be fighters with terrorists, it even offered advice on how users could cover their internet tracks from law enforcement, according to a detailed federal complaint.
"We are aware of (non-Muslims') tricks and the behaviour of their unjust governments," the site says.
As some point, Tounisi allegedly took the bait.
In an April 1, 2013, email to an FBI agent posing as a terrorist recruiter, Tounisi comes across as earnest and frank, including about how some might see his youth and 168cm stature as an impediment.
"Concerning my fighting skills, to be honest, I do not have any," he allegedly wrote. "I'm very small ... physically but I pray to Allah that he makes me successful."
Not to worry, the FBI responds encouragingly in an email back to Tounisi.
"We have trust in Allah that you will fight and do your jihad as a true (believer)," it says.
While he is accused of taking steps to further his desire to fight in Syria, his online searches also seem to convey some concern about legal implications. According to the complaint, for instance, he searched the phrases "providing material support what does it mean" and "Terrorism Act 2000."
Joan Hyde, a spokesman for the FBI in Chicago, declined to comment yesterday, saying the agency didn't comment on ongoing cases.
The federal complaint suggests, however, that federal authorities don't want to hang their whole case on allegations Tounisi acted on what he read on the site.
It also alleges he was a close friend of Adel Daoud, a Chicago-area teen arrested last year on charges he tried to detonate a device he thought was a bomb outside a downtown bar. The complaint contends the two friends even discussed potential targets Daoud could hit.
Federal authorities don't accuse Tounisi of participating in the alleged attack planned by Daoud. But broaching his relationship in such detail may help prosecutors counter any future claim Tounisi stumbled onto the site and into the alleged crime by sheer naiveté.
Ironically, Tounisi allegedly opted out of Daoud's plot because he sensed - in that instance, one year before his own arrest - that something didn't feel right: He had concluded, according to the complaint, that Daoud's key contact may have been working for law enforcement.
In filings after Daoud's arrest, prosecutors acknowledged that the contact was, in fact, an FBI informant.
Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14