‘It's an honor to fight and die for our faith': California man arrested by FBI for ‘sending funds to ISIS'
According to the US Department of Justice, Villanueva now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for attempting to provide material support to ISIS. Investigators said he had been in contact with individuals claiming to be ISIS fighters via social media earlier this year.
In those online conversations, Villanueva allegedly pledged support and expressed willingness to die for the group. 'It's an honor to fight and die for our faith. It's the best way to go to heaven,' he reportedly wrote. 'Someday soon, I'll be joining.'
Over five months, Villanueva sent 12 payments totalling $1,615 through Western Union to intermediaries connected to ISIS, who received the money overseas, according to DOJ officials.
During the arrest, FBI agents recovered what appeared to be an explosive device in Villanueva's bedroom, which they shared images of on the FBI's official social media accounts.
Members of the FBI's #JTTF assisted by FBI #SWAT arrested Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 28, of #LongBeach, early this morning for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, a designated foreign #terrorist organization. Evidence of explosives were recovered during today's search. pic.twitter.com/8YAbvuZKoU
— FBI Los Angeles (@FBILosAngeles) August 1, 2025
'Mr. Villanueva is alleged to have financially supported and pledged his allegiance to a terror group that targets the United States and our interests around the world,' said Patrick Grandy, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, CNN reported.
His arrest follows a broader crackdown on suspected ISIS sympathisers within the US. Earlier this year, Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, a 19-year-old former member of the Michigan Army National Guard, was arrested after allegedly plotting a mass shooting at a military base in Michigan.
Said, according to the DOJ, launched a drone near the Army's Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command facility — which oversees the Army's supply chain for tanks — in a suburb of Detroit, in preparation for the attack. He had allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and offered to help what turned out to be undercover law enforcement officers by training them in weapons handling, Molotov cocktail assembly, and supplying armor-piercing ammunition.
Said now faces charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and distributing information about destructive devices.
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