Man sentenced to 15 years in USA for attempting to join al-Qaida

An Illinois young man was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison for attempting to join an al-Qaida-linked terrorist group in Syria.

Abdella Ahmad Tounisi, a Jordanian American living in a western suburb of Chicago, was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in 2013, when he was about to fly to Turkey before entering neighboring Syria for jihad. He was just 18 years old then, according to local media reports.

Tounisi pleaded guilty in 2015 to one count of attempting to provide material support to Jabhat al-Nusra, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaida.

Prosecutors wanted the maximum 15-year sentence, which was supported by the federal judge, the Chicago Tribune reported.

At the court, Tounisi reportedly apologized and thanked the government for preventing him from going to Syria, where he now believed he would die.