Man pleads guilty to false statements involving terrorism

DETROIT (AP) - A Detroit-area man accused of trying to travel to the Middle East to fight in Syria's civil war has pleaded guilty to making false statements involving terrorism to federal agents.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit says 24-year-old Mohammad Hamdan of Dearborn had a plea hearing in federal court on Monday.

Authorities say Hamdan told agents he was going to Lebanon for dental work and also told an FBI confidential source that he was going there to join Hezbollah in order to fight in Syria.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim group in Lebanon that is classified by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

Hamdan was arrested in 2014 prior to boarding a flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 14.

Published: Wed, Aug 17, 2016