Three U.S. citizens from Kansas and California were arrested and charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, the Department of Justice said. Authorities allege the defendants transferred more than $2,000 to someone they believed was an ISIS member and discussed traveling overseas to fight and attacking U.S. service members. The complaint says the group communicated from February 2025 through June 2026 via Discord and other platforms and pledged allegiance to ISIS. The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force led the investigation, and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the arrests helped prevent further violence.
Three U.S. Citizens Arrested in Alleged Plot to Support ISIS and Target U.S. Service Members
Three U.S. citizens were arrested Friday and accused of plotting to support ISIS following an investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. (Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images file)(Graeme Sloan)
Three U.S. citizens — two from California and one from Kansas — were arrested on federal charges Friday after authorities say they conspired to provide material support to the Islamic State (ISIS), the Department of Justice announced.
Details of the Charges
Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, were each charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to a DOJ news release. It was not immediately clear whether any of the three had retained attorneys.
Alleged Conduct
Prosecutors say the defendants together transferred more than $2,000 to an individual they believed was an ISIS member and expressed intentions to harm U.S. service members. The complaint alleges the men communicated from February 2025 through June 2026 using Discord chats, voice calls and other messaging platforms and that they "pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader."
Authorities allege Ghafoor made explicit violent threats, including a message saying, "I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans," and a reported statement expressing a desire to behead a female soldier. Prosecutors further allege that Ghafoor's name was later written on the projectile of a rocket-propelled grenade purportedly intended for an overseas attack targeting U.S. service members.
Officials say Shamsaldeen provided funds intended to purchase drones that could be used to attack U.S. service members deployed overseas. All allegations remain just that — allegations — and must be proven in court.
Investigation and Official Statements
The case was investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, with work from the Kansas City, San Diego and Sacramento field offices.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche: "Today’s arrest of three individuals who allegedly conspired to provide material support to ISIS makes clear our commitment to taking down terrorist networks — anywhere. Thanks to the vigilance of the FBI, their alleged scheme was dismantled and further acts of violence against U.S. service members were prevented."
This report is based on a DOJ news release and a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The story was originally published on NBCNews.com.
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