Didn't mom tell you? Not all attention is good attention.
The FBI have indicted a 20-year-old Chicago man who allegedly concocted a story about being recruited by a local terrorist cell.
The U.S. attorney's office announced Friday that Uzhair Ali Hashmi has been charged with three felony counts of making false statements to FBI agents.
According to the indictment, Hashmi told agents July 28 he had been approached by an individual who asked if he had a gun, spoke of a homegrown jihad and suggested that he join something he called God's military.
The next day, authorities say the north side man told agents he'd been told it was time to give the nonbelievers what they deserve. The Chicago Tribune reports that Hashmi was told he would find "something" near the trash in the alley behind his home. He later gave agents a "recruitment letter" he claimed to have found, which authorities said was fabricated.
Prosecutors said the FBI-led Chicago Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the reports exhaustively and found they were a hoax.
In convicted, Hashmi faces 8 years in prison for each count and a $250,000 fine.
