A Michigan man was arrested for allegedly plotting to conduct a mass shooting at a U.S. military base on behalf of ISIS.
The Justice Department announced on Wednesday the arrest of former Michigan national guardsman, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, for the failed attempt to attack a military base in Warren, Mich.
The suspect faces charges of attempting to provide support for a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. His initial court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count. Federal prosecutors are hoping to keep the suspect behind bars because of his risk to the community and the possibility he flees.
“This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” said Sue 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 find and prosecute those who seek to harm our men and women in the military and to protect all Americans.”
Said planned on carrying out the mass shooting at the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren. He told two undercover law enforcement officers about the plan ahead of time, according to a criminal complaint.
When the two officers indicated they sought to carry out Said’s plan on behalf of ISIS, he provided ammunition and magazines for the attack, as well as reconnaissance surveillance with a drone and firearms training for the undercover officers, per the complaint. Said also taught them how to use Molotov cocktails and plotted specific logistical details of the attack, such as the building to target.
“ISIS is a brutal terrorist organization which seeks to kill Americans. Helping ISIS or any other terrorist organization prepare or carry out acts of violence is not only a reprehensible crime – it is a threat to our entire nation and way of life,” said eastern Michigan U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr.
“Our office will not tolerate such crimes or threats, and we will use the full weight of the law against anyone who engages in terrorism.”
The suspect intended on carrying out the attack on May 13 and traveled to an area near the military base to launch his drone and begin the operation. His plot was foiled when law enforcement officers arrested him.