Illinois Teenager Indicted for Trying to Join ISIS

(CN) - An Illinois teenager who allegedly recruited two siblings to join ISIS has been indicted for attempting to support terrorism overseas.

Mohammad Hamzah Khan, 19, was arrested on Oct. 4, 2-14, at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where federal prosecutors say he, his 17-year-old sister and 16-year-old brother, were preparing to fly to Syria.

Khan, who lives in a Chicago suburb, has been held without bond since his arrest in anticipation of his indictment by a federal grand jury, which formally charged him on Thursday with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

If convicted on that charge, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors said Kahn was questioned for three hours last fall, and during the interview he said he had planned to meet a contact in Istanbul, Turkey, and then proceed to either Syria or Iraq from there.

When asked what he planned to do there, Kahn allegedly said he expected "to be involved in some type of public service, a police force, humanitarian work, or a combat role."

Kahn will be arraigned on January 13, 2015.

Read the Top 8

Sign up for the Top 8, a roundup of the day's top stories delivered directly to your inbox Monday through Friday.

Email *

Submit