Former Michigan Army National Guard member charged with planning mass shooting on behalf of ISIS at military base

Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization as well as distributing information related to a destructive device, according to the Department of Justice.

According to the complaint, Said shared with two undercover law enforcement officers a plan he had developed to carry out a mass shooting at the US Army’s Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) facility located at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan. In April 2025, the undercover officers expressed their intent to execute the plan under the direction of ISIS. In response, Said provided substantial support for the planned attack.

The plan included supplying armor-piercing ammunition and magazines, using his drone to perform surveillance of the TACOM facility, instructing the undercover individuals in firearm use and how to make Molotov cocktails, and helping to plan key aspects of the assault, such as the method of entry and the specific building to target.

Last July, the FBI was able to search his phone when he briefly relinquished it to board a military plane as part of his National Guard responsibilities and agents found messages expressing a desire to "go for Jihad," sent to someone in the Palestinian territories in October 2023. They also found he was part of multiple Telegram group chats showing sympathy for ISIS.

In October, he sent a video in front of an ISIS flag pledging allegiance to the foreign terrorist organization to the undercover agents, according to messages reviewed by the FBI. His original plan was to travel to ISIS-held territory before settling on an attack against the TACOM facility.

On May 13 – the scheduled day of the attack – Said was arrested after he traveled to an area near TACOM and allegedly launched his drone in support of the attack plan.

On Wednesday, during his initial court appearance in the Eastern District of Michigan, the court agreed with the US Attorney’s Office to hold Said in pretrial detention because of his alleged danger to the community and the risk that he would flee. Said faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted.

"This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, we foiled the attack before lives were lost. 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.”

“ISIS is 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,” said US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. for the Eastern District of Michigan. “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.”

“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,” said Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to detect and stop terrorist plans aimed at the American homeland or at US interests overseas.”

“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,” said Brig. Gen. Rhett R. Cox, the commanding general of Army Counterintelligence Command. “I commend the tireless work of our special agents and FBI partners who worked together to investigate and apprehend this individual. 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.”