Three Men, Including Navy Veteran, Charged with Conspiring to Support ISIS and Plot Attacks on U.S. Military
Three men—including a former U.S. Navy sailor—have been arrested and charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, including sending over $2,000 to individuals they believed were ISIS members. The suspects allegedly coordinated through encrypted messaging platforms to fund drone attacks and weapons targeting American service members, with one expressing desires to kill soldiers. The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to identify and prosecute domestic terrorism threats.
Federal authorities arrested Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of California, on charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. According to court filings, the three men coordinated between February 2025 and June 2026 through Discord chats and other messaging platforms to send funds they believed would purchase weapons and fund drone strikes against U.S. military personnel deployed overseas. Dzayee, who served in the Navy from 2021 to 2024 aboard the USS John S. McCain, allegedly suggested disguising transfers as charitable donations and attempted to use cryptocurrency ATMs to conceal transactions. Court documents detail disturbing communications in which the suspects allegedly expressed desires to kill American soldiers, with Ghafoor claiming he wanted to behead a female soldier and Shamsaldeen expressing interest in stabbing service members. The FBI identified the trio through social media posts promoting ISIS and dismantled the alleged scheme before any attacks materialized.
What's missing
Coverage does not clarify whether the individuals they sent money to were actually ISIS operatives or undercover FBI agents conducting a sting operation, which is a critical distinction for understanding the nature of the conspiracy. Additionally, there is limited context about how these individuals became radicalized or whether they had prior connections to extremist networks.
What different sources said
- Fox NewsRight
Navy veteran among trio who allegedly wanted to behead soldier and fund ISIS drone attacks on Americans
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