Three men from Kansas and California were arrested early Monday on charges they conspired to provide material support to ISIS, the Justice Department announced, with federal prosecutors alleging the suspects collectively funneled more than $2,000 to someone they believed was a member of the designated foreign terrorist organization.
Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, were taken into custody by FBI agents in Kansas City, Kansas, San Diego, and Sacramento, according to a complaint filed in the District of Kansas.
Court documents allege the three men communicated through Discord chats, voice calls and other messaging platforms beginning at least as early as February 2025 through approximately June 2026, pledging allegiance to ISIS and its leader while exchanging messages in online groups promoting violence on the group’s behalf.
The complaint cites a series of violent statements allegedly made during those communications. Ghafoor stated in messages that it would be “sick” if his name could be written on a drone used in an attack on Americans, and separately said he has always wanted to kill a female soldier by beheading, adding, “I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans,” according to the complaint. Dzayee suggested that U.S. Special Forces should be targeted by drones, prosecutors said, while Shamsaldeen expressed a desire to stab and injure a U.S. servicemember.
Beyond the online communications, prosecutors allege the conspiracy included material support for ISIS-linked activities. Ghafoor’s name was reportedly inscribed on the projectile of a rocket-propelled grenade purportedly to be used in an overseas attack targeting U.S. servicemembers, prosecutors said. Shamsaldeen allegedly provided financial resources intended for the purchase of drones to be used against American troops deployed abroad. The defendants also communicated desires to travel outside the United States to fight on behalf of ISIS, expressing a willingness to die for the group, according to court documents.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche credited the FBI with dismantling the alleged scheme and preventing further acts of violence against U.S. servicemembers. FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests demonstrated the bureau’s commitment to stopping terrorist attacks before they happen.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces in the Kansas City, San Diego and Sacramento field offices investigated the case, with assistance from field offices in Richmond and Newark. All three defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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