A former National Guard soldier was arrested Tuesday after allegedly planning to carry out a jihadist attack against an Army base in Michigan.
Federal authorities arrested Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, outside of the Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) in Warren, Michigan, on Tuesday.
Mr. Said had reportedly been discussing with FBI agents plans to attack the base for ISIS for months.
He has been charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and disseminating information related to an explosive device. He faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted.
According to federal investigators, Mr. Said told two FBI agents posing as ISIS supporters that he was “fed up” with the country and was ready to carry out jihad against American service members in the U.S. or the Middle East.
Mr. Said completed National Guard training in 2022 and was discharged in late 2024. He began corresponding with the undercover agents in June of last year and met with them several times in person ahead of his Tuesday arrest.
In the correspondence, Mr. Said told FBI agents that he wanted to receive training so he would know how to kill U.S. servicemen and had begun amassing a collection of weapons to use in an upcoming attack.
He also admitted flying a drone over the Michigan base to identify possible entry points and targets. Mr. Said told the agents, whom he believed would participate in an attack with him, to livestream the assault and mention Gaza and Palestine.
Authorities had discovered Facebook messages on Mr. Said’s phone between him and someone located in the Palestinian territories. After Mr. Said voiced a desire to “go for Jihad,” the individual told him to move to an encrypted messaging app for further communication.
Army Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, commander of the Army Counterintelligence Command, said Mr. Said’s arrest is a sober reminder of the dangers of terrorism and called on all service members to remain vigilant.
“We urge all soldiers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command, as the safety and security of our Army and our nation depends on our collective efforts to prevent insider threats,” Gen. Cox said Wednesday in a statement.
