U.S. Authorities Say Dearborn Man Lied about Dental Visit to Join Hizbullah

A Dearborn man has pleaded guilty to lying about his plans to travel to Lebanon, which included intentions to fight for Hizbullah, which Washington designates as a “terrorist group,” U.S. media reports said.

Mohammad Hassan Hamdan, 24, admitted he initially lied in March 2014 when he told federal agents he was going to Lebanon to “get his teeth fixed,” The Detroit News website quoted the U.S. Attorney’s Office as saying.

“Hamdan was arrested prior to boarding a flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. On Monday, he admitted telling an FBI confidential source that he was going to Lebanon to join Hizbullah and fight in Syria,” The Detroit News quoted prosecutors as saying.

Before trying to board the flight, Hamdan packed up all of his possessions, gave his car to a relative and sold his house, prosecutors said.

Hamdan will be sentenced Nov. 14 and could face up to eight years in federal prison.

“It is illegal to lie to federal agents because false statements undermine their ability to investigate crime,” U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade said in a statement.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force in Detroit.

“This investigation demonstrates the real threat of individuals residing in the United States who want to travel to Syria to fight on behalf of Hizbullah, a designated terrorist organization and threat to our national security,” said David Gelios, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit office, in a statement.