Ex-U.S. guardsman arrested for trying to attack military base in Michigan on behalf of ISIS
A former U.S. guardsman has been arrested for trying to carry out a plan to conduct a mass-shooting at a U.S. military base in Michigan on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, federal officials said Wednesday.
Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, of Melvindale, Michigan and a former member of the Michigan Army National Guard, 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, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.
Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command, urged all U.S. military to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to their chain of command.
'The arrest of this former soldier is a sobering reminder of the importance of our counterintelligence efforts to identify and disrupt those who would seek to harm our nation,' Cox said in a statement on Wednesday.
Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was expected to make his initial court appearance on Wednesday in the Eastern District of Michigan.
The U.S. Attorney's Office will be asking the court to hold Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said in pretrial detention 'because of his danger to the community and the risk that he will flee,' officials said.
Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said had planned for the attack to happen on Tuesday, prosecutors said.
'This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,' Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.
'Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost,' Bai said. '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.'
U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. called ISIS "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,' Gorgon said in a statement. '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.'
According to the complaint, Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said informed two undercover law enforcement officers of a plan he had devised and formulated to conduct a mass-shooting at the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan.
In April, the two undercover officers indicated they intended to carry out Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said's plan at the direction of ISIS.
In response, Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said 'provided material assistance to the attack plan, including providing armor-piercing ammunition and magazines for the attack, flying his drone over TACOM to conduct operational reconnaissance, training the undercover employees on firearms and the construction of Molotov cocktails for use during the attack, and planning numerous details of the attack' including how to enter TACOM and which building to target.
On Tuesday, the scheduled day of the attack, Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was arrested after he traveled to an area near TACOM and launched his drone in support of the attack plan.
The Detroit Arsenal, home to TACOM headquarters, is the only active-duty U.S. military installation in the state of Michigan and the only active-duty Army installation in three states (Michigan, Ohio and Indiana), the U.S. Army says on its website.
'Home to many organizations that generate U.S. military readiness around the world, Detroit Arsenal and its Michigan-based workforce of more than 6000 people contribute billions of dollars in economic impact to the state's economy each year,' the website states.
Based on the charges in the complaint, Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.
'The defendant allegedly tried to carry out an attack on a military facility in support of ISIS, which was disrupted thanks to the good work of the FBI and our partners,' FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Donald Holstead said in a statement. 'The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to detect and stop terrorist plans aimed at the American homeland or at U.S. interests overseas.'
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.
'I commend the tireless work of our special agents and FBI partners who worked together to investigate and apprehend this individual,' said Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command. 'We will continue to collaborate with our partners to prevent similar incidents in the future.'
'We urge all soldiers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to their chain of command, as the safety and security of our Army and our nation depends on our collective efforts to prevent insider threats,' Cox said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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