Three U.S. men arrested on charges of plotting to support ISIS

Three U.S. citizens — two from California and one from Kansas — were arrested Friday on charges of plotting to support the terrorist organization ISIS, the Department of Justice announced.

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 foreign terrorist organization, according to a DOJ news release.

It is not immediately clear whether the three have retained attorneys.

The defendants allegedly provided more than $2,000 combined to a person they believed was an ISIS member and expressed a desire to harm U.S. service members. ISIS, or the Islamic State militant group, is designated as a transnational terrorist group.

Ghafoor allegedly said he wanted to behead a female soldier and wrote, “I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans,” according to the release. All three also expressed a desire to travel abroad to fight for ISIS, the government alleges.

The three communicated from February 2025 to June 2026, discussing plans to support ISIS and, through Discord chats, calls and other messaging platforms, “pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader,” according to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

Ghafoor allegedly wrote in messages that it would be “sick” if his name appeared on a drone used in an attack on Americans. Prosecutors say his name was ultimately written on the projectile of a rocket-propelled grenade purportedly intended for an overseas attack targeting U.S. service members.

Shamsaldeen allegedly provided financial resources for purchasing drones intended to attack and kill U.S. service members deployed overseas, the release said.

The case was investigated by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Kansas City, San Diego and Sacramento field offices.

“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,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Thanks to the vigilance of the FBI, their alleged scheme was dismantled and further acts of violence against U.S. service members were prevented.”

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