Former Michigan Guard member charged in ISIS plot to attack Army base
A former member of the Michigan Army National Guard has been arrested and charged with planning a mass shooting at a U.S. military base in Michigan on behalf of ISIS, according to the Justice Department.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, of Melvindale, Michigan, was arrested on Thursday near the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, where prosecutors said he had planned to help carry out the attack.
Said is charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information related to a destructive device. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
According to the complaint, Said told two undercover law enforcement officers about a plan he had developed to conduct a mass shooting at the TACOM facility. In April, the undercover officers told him they intended to carry out the attack at the direction of ISIS.
Prosecutors said Said then provided material assistance for the plan, including armor-piercing ammunition and magazines. He also flew a drone over the facility for reconnaissance, trained the undercover officers on firearms and the construction of Molotov cocktails, and discussed details such as how to enter the base and which building to target.
Said was arrested on May 13, the day prosecutors said the attack was scheduled to take place, after he traveled to an area near TACOM and launched his drone in support of the plot.
“This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” said Sue J. 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.”
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case. Prosecutors said they will ask a judge to keep Said in custody before trial, citing his danger to the community and the risk that he could flee.
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