The Department of Justice announced the arrest of three U.S. citizens on charges of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. The individuals, Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, from Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, from Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, from Lakeside, California, were taken into custody by the FBI on Friday. They are accused of planning to finance ISIS operations against U.S. service members through a cryptocurrency scheme intended to purchase weapons such as RPGs and drones.
According to the complaint, the three men expressed a willingness to die for the ISIS cause and collectively donated over $2,000 to someone they believed was affiliated with ISIS. Messaging exchanges revealed alarming sentiments, including Ghafoor stating it would be 'sick' if his name could be inscribed on a drone used in an attack on Americans, and Shamsaldeen expressing a desire to harm a U.S. servicemember. Ghafoor allegedly stated, 'I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans.'
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Kansas City, along with field offices in San Diego and Sacramento, and support from personnel in Richmond and Newark. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg commented on the case, emphasizing the intent of the defendants to support ISIS and the disruption of their plans through the FBI's efforts. The complaint was filed in the District of Kansas, detailing communications between the suspects from February 2025 to June 2026 regarding their support for ISIS and intentions to use violence. This case follows a recent arrest of an Iranian national accused of selling weapons to Sudan.
