Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to the creation of a destructive device, according to a federal criminal complaint, the US Department of Justice said.
A 19-year-old man from Melvindale in the US state of Michigan and former member of the Michigan Army National Guard has been arrested for allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a military base in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organisation.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to the creation of a destructive device, according to a federal criminal complaint, the US Department of Justice said in an official release.
Authorities say Said had planned an attack on the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan.
He allegedly coordinated with two undercover FBI agents posing as ISIS operatives, sharing tactical information and providing materials for the planned assault.
“This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost. We will not hesitate to bring the full force of the Department to prosecute those who threaten our military and our nation.”
FBI Director Kash Patel, in a post on X, said, “I can now confirm reports that our FBI teams and partners foiled an attempted ISIS attack on one of our U.S. military bases in Warren, Michigan.”
According to court documents, Said provided armor-piercing ammunition, firearm magazines, and training in firearms use and Molotov cocktail construction. He also used a drone to conduct aerial surveillance of the TACOM facility, assisted in choosing a building to target, and helped plan the logistics of the attack.
Federal authorities arrested Said on May 13,, the day the attack was scheduled to take place. He was taken into custody near the TACOM facility after launching a drone in support of the operation.
“ISIS is a brutal terrorist organization that seeks to kill Americans,” said US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan.
“Providing any support to a terrorist group is a serious crime and a direct threat to our nation. We will aggressively prosecute anyone involved in such acts.”
The FBI, working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force, led the investigation.
“The defendant allegedly tried to carry out an attack on a military facility in support of ISIS, which was disrupted thanks to the good work of the FBI and our partners,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division.
“The FBI is unwavering in its commitment to detect and stop any terror plots that target the homeland or U.S. interests,” the statement said.
If convicted, Said faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison per charge.
