N Carolina man charged with lying about Islamic State plans

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A North Carolina man is charged with lying to the FBI when he denied telling someone he planned to fly to Syria and wanted to help others fly there to support the Islamic State.

An indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte charges 29-year-old Alexander Samuel Smith of Waxhaw with two counts of making a false statement to an agency of the United States.

The indictment says Smith began communicating in July 2014 with an FBI confidential source who identified himself as an Islamic State representative. It says Smith offered to get a “buddy pass” for the source through his girlfriend, who worked for a U.S. airline. It also says Smith wanted to travel to Syria.

Smith’s attorney, federal defender Kevin Tate, declined comment Friday. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.