Pennsylvania man charged after FBI says he plotted ISIS-inspired attack

Jonathan Hunter Kramer, 21, of Valencia, Pennsylvania, has been charged in a federal criminal complaint with receiving a firearm and ammunition while allegedly knowing or having reasonable cause to believe they would be used to commit a felony or federal crime of terrorism, including providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support or resources to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, according to the Department of Justice.

FBI agents intercepted Kramer over the weekend as he returned to a hotel in possession of three 30-round-capacity rifle magazines and five boxes of rifle ammunition, the DOJ said. Agents then executed search warrants, seized a semiautomatic rifle and ammunition from his hotel room, and arrested him.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement’s work “thwarted this alleged attack before innocent lives could be lost.” FBI Director Kash Patel said Kramer was allegedly plotting a violent attack in support of ISIS, engaging with ISIS propaganda online, building attack concepts and acquiring weapons believed to be in preparation for the attack. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said Kramer had secured a rifle and approximately 190 rounds of ammunition for what Kramer allegedly called his “mission.”

According to the affidavit supporting the complaint, Kramer has been known to the FBI since an investigation began in 2023. That investigation resulted in Kramer, then a minor, being charged and adjudicated delinquent by Pennsylvania authorities for his role in a plot to commit a mass-casualty incident and for possessing child sexual abuse material. On March 19, 2026, following his release from a Pennsylvania juvenile detention facility, an anonymous tip alerted the FBI to what investigators described as a return to troubling behavior, including his alleged ordering of “mysterious” packages and “talking to his friends from before” his juvenile adjudication. The affidavit states that Kramer used the online persona “Hamza Al Rashid,” claimed affiliation with ISIS, offered to share explosive manuals and said he needed only a weapon to carry out his “mission.”

Investigators said that on Sept. 12, 2026, Kramer traveled by rideshare to a retail store, where he bought a disposable phone. He then met someone in the parking lot and obtained a long black bag from the trunk of a vehicle before checking into a Cranberry Township hotel. Witnesses at the store and hotel reported hearing a metallic clicking sound when he placed the bag down. He was later observed by the FBI at the gun counter of a sporting goods store, according to the affidavit.

When FBI agents approached Kramer in the hotel parking lot, he was carrying two bags containing the contents of his sporting goods store purchase. He agreed to speak with the agents and placed the bags on the ground, the DOJ said. Agents subsequently executed search warrants on Kramer’s person, hotel room and residence. Collectively, the searches recovered a semiautomatic rifle, five rifle magazines — two loaded and three with a 30-round capacity — a bipod and scope, 190 rounds of rifle ammunition, an entrenchment tool, a prayer rug, pepper spray, approximately 30 knives and a handwritten note stating, “DoNt look For me[.] IDK what I did buT I cant live In constant Fear[.]”

U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti credited investigators’ swift intervention after authorities concluded that Kramer posed an increased threat to the community. FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec said authorities would continue acting swiftly against individuals believed to be mobilizing toward violence on behalf of foreign terrorist organizations.

Kramer made his initial court appearance on Sept. 14, 2026. Prosecutors have requested that he be detained without bond pending trial, asserting that he is a danger to the community. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan J. McKenna of the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorneys Andrew Briggs and Matthew Hracho of the DOJ’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case.

The charges and descriptions of Kramer’s conduct are allegations contained in the complaint and supporting affidavit. A criminal complaint is an accusation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.