A hazardous substances engineer at the California Environmental Protection Agency was arrested and charged on Tuesday with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Since February, 33-year-old Ammaad Akhtar of Stockton, California, has been communicating with a person he believed was a member of ISIS but who was actually a law-enforcement controlled individual, according to the Department of Justice.

“In these conversations, Akhtar voiced his support for ISIS and jihad, expressed a desire to travel overseas to join and fight with ISIS, and stated a desire to send guns and money to ISIS,” the Justice Department said in a statement. 

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In April 2025, Akhtar began providing financial support in a few payments to what he thought was ISIS. When he was told by a federal asset that ISIS was able to purchase firearms with the money, he responded “may Allah destroy our enemies” and promised to send more money that day.

On June 23, Akhtar met with an undercover federal employee who he thought was also a part of ISIS and provided clothing, binoculars, $400 cash, two loaded guns, and six additional magazines. He also then swore bayat (a pledge of loyalty) to ISIS, according to the Justice Department.

Akhtar, a graduate of the University of the Pacific, describes himself as a “great team player” and a “great leader” on his LinkedIn, as first reported by Jewish News Syndicate.

The California EPA listed Akhtar on its website and a spokesperson confirmed that he is an employee, telling JNS, claiming that the department “became aware of this situation after the arrest and intend to fully cooperate with the federal investigation.”

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Over several months, Akhtar also talked about planning terrorist attacks including attacking a specific unnamed Jewish individual and using homemade explosives.

“He said he ‘want[s] to die in the cause of Allah fighting the kuffar [infidels]’ and asked for instructions on how to make a homemade explosive device in order ‘to make a boom’ at a populated event,” according to the DOJ.

Akhtar also said that the “day will come when the head of every evil, dirty Jew and their slaves, the cross worshippers, will have their heads plucked like chicken.”

According to court documents, Akhtar told his “ISIS contact” that he “drove by a Jewish temple, and I see one guy. He is always there on Saturday. He was in Israeli army. I follow him, and now I am following him to see where he lives.”

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Akhtar told the undercover asset that he knew the Jewish person drove a red truck. The FBI confirmed that there is a Jewish temple in Stockton and was able to identify the owner of the red truck “who does not appear to resemble an Israeli soldier.”

If convicted, Akhtar faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.