Teekaye said he had researched buildings near his home that supported Israel and had considered how to “gun down key members or anyone involved.”
A Maryland man who admitted to attempting to join the Islamic State (ISIS) and discussed plans to carry out attacks against Jews and supporters of Israel in the United States has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., 22, was sentenced Wednesday by US District Judge Adam B. Abelson to 15 years in prison followed by lifetime supervised release after pleading guilty to attempting to provide material support to the foreign terrorist organization ISIS.
According to federal prosecutors, Teekaye spent months communicating with an undercover law enforcement officer about his plans to travel overseas to fight for ISIS. He also disclosed an alternate plan to launch a terrorist attack inside the United States if he could not reach the terror group's ranks abroad.
During conversations with the undercover officer between March and April 2023, Teekaye said he wanted to travel to Africa to become an ISIS "mujahid," or fighter. Prosecutors said he also described a "plan B" that involved targeting Jews and people who support Israel in the United States.
According to court documents, Teekaye said he had researched buildings near his home that supported Israel and had considered how to "gun down key members or anyone involved."
US Attorney Kelly O'Hayes said the sentence reflects the seriousness of the case. "Mr. Teekaye sought to support a foreign terrorist organization that has committed unspeakable acts of violence and took real-world steps to carry out a terrorist attack in Maryland," O'Hayes said. "Today's sentence underscores that those who seek to aid terrorist organizations will be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable."
The FBI said the investigation prevented a potentially deadly attack. "Undoubtedly, lives were saved because law enforcement thwarted Teekaye's plan to join ISIS and murder Americans," said Jimmy Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. "The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force works around the clock to protect our country by identifying threats like this and preventing them from being carried out."
Federal prosecutors said Teekaye took multiple concrete steps to prepare for his plans. In May and June 2024, he purchased ammunition and paid for range time at a shooting range in Severn, Maryland, later telling the undercover officer the sessions were part of his "training."
In July 2024, he attempted to purchase a Kalashnikov K-9 9mm rifle, but the sale was denied because he was on probation in an unrelated Maryland criminal case.
Investigators said Teekaye later communicated with a Somali ISIS fighter who allegedly helped coordinate his planned trip to Somalia. He received assistance in obtaining an Ethiopian electronic visa and was sent airline tickets for an itinerary departing from Baltimore/Washington International Airport on October 14, 2024, with stops in London and Istanbul before continuing toward East Africa.
Just days before his scheduled departure, Teekaye sent the undercover officer a photograph of himself wearing a black mask while holding a large machete, accompanied by the message: "Victory or shahada [martyrdom] ... either you do it here or over there or both."
When asked if he was certain he wanted to join ISIS, Teekaye replied that he had done "a lot of research" and believed "they are the only group that has the most true and sincere intentions."
The FBI arrested Teekaye at BWI Airport on October 14, 2024, after he checked in for his international flight and passed through airport security. According to prosecutors, after his arrest Teekaye made repeated threats, declaring, "Jihad will never stop," and stating that if imprisoned, he would simply carry out attacks in the United States after his release. He also threatened law enforcement officers, referenced a recent ISIS prison attack in Russia, and kicked and spat on one of the arresting FBI agents.
A subsequent search of his cellphone allegedly uncovered internet searches for Jewish and Israeli individuals and organizations in Howard County, Maryland, along with searches including "how to break into a home" and "how to escape murder."
Federal prosecutors said one of the individuals identified through those searches, a local rabbi, submitted a victim impact statement and addressed the court during Wednesday's sentencing, describing the effect the case had on both himself and the broader Jewish community.
A federal grand jury indicted Teekaye in October 2024 on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and assaulting a federal officer. He pleaded guilty to the terrorism charge in January 2026.
Prosecutors also disclosed that while awaiting sentencing, jail officials discovered two homemade weapons, including a large improvised knife, hidden inside Teekaye's jail cell.
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