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Man under watch by federal agents pleads guilty to lying

Scales of Justice photo
Tim Evanson via Wikimedia | CC BY 3.0
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wikimedia.org

A young western Michigan man whose mental health and interest in guns led authorities to place a tracking device on his car has pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents.

Aaron Fein of Grand Rapids Township appeared in federal court Friday. He's been in custody since his arrest in May.

The 24-year-old got the attention of authorities last August when Canadian officials turned him away at a border crossing because of a lack of documents. During a screening on the U.S. side of the border, agents found items related to jihad and bombmaking.

The government says Fein, a University of Michigan engineering graduate, had a notebook at home with chemical equations and a list of bomb supplies. In May, agents discovered electronic components that could have been used to make explosives.