FBI arrests 3 men who allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, funded drone attacks targeting US troops overseas

The FBI arrested three men Friday in Kansas and California after they allegedly conspired to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, were arrested on a complaint filed in the District of Kansas after allegedly conspiring to provide material support to terrorism after collectively providing more than $2,000 to a person they understood to be a member of ISIS, according to a news release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

FBI Director Kash Patel said the suspects allegedly swore allegiance to ISIS, plotted multiple attacks and targeted U.S. service members.

"This FBI stopped them cold," Patel said. "The success of this op shows once again this FBI’s continued record of stopping terrorist attacks before they happen, simply the best way to defend the homeland — and shows we’ll stop at nothing to defend Americans from those who seek to do us harm. I want to thank our teams in Kansas City, San Diego, Sacramento, Newark and Richmond, and the Counterterrorism Division for their outstanding efforts on this investigation and commitment to mission."

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Officials said that from February 2025 to about June 2026, the suspects communicated about several plans to support ISIS, including through the provision of personnel, services and money.

Through Discord chats, voice calls and other messaging platforms, they allegedly pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader, according to the complaint. They are also accused of exchanging messages in social media groups promoting violence in furtherance of ISIS.

Ghafoor allegedly said it would be "sick" if his name could be written on the drone used in an attack on Americans, while Dzayee allegedly suggested that targets of drones should include U.S. Special Forces, according to the DOJ.

In other exchanges, court documents note Shamsaldeen "expressed a desire" to stab and injure a U.S. service member, and Ghafoor confessed to having always wanted to kill a female soldier by beheading, adding, "I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans." 

Officials said Ghafoor’s name was written on a projectile of a rocket-propelled grenade which terrorists were planning to use in an overseas attack to kill U.S. service members.

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Shamsaldeen allegedly provided financial resources for the purpose of purchasing drones to attack and kill U.S. service members deployed overseas, according to the complaint.

The DOJ claimed the suspects, along with others, also communicated their desires to travel outside the U.S. to fight on behalf of ISIS. 

In some of the communications, officials said they expressed a willingness to die on behalf of ISIS.

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"This administration has put terrorists, cartels, and gangs on notice," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote in a statement. "Today’s arrest of three individuals who allegedly conspired to provide material support to ISIS makes clear our commitment to taking down terrorist networks — anywhere. Thanks to the vigilance of the FBI, their alleged scheme was dismantled and further acts of violence against U.S. service members were prevented."

U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser for the District of Kansas added that for years, the DOJ has been encouraging Americans that if they see suspicious activity, they should report it to law enforcement.

"That’s because long gone are the days where terrorist threats and attacks are incidents that only take place far away on foreign soil," Kriegshauser said. "Unfortunately, we must face the reality of bad actors living within our borders clandestinely conspiring on ways to create fear and havoc. The only way to root out and prevent terrorism plots is through collaboration among all levels of law enforcement and across jurisdictions. Collaboration is which is what facilitated the arrests of these three suspects."

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Kansas City, San Diego and Sacramento field offices investigated the cases, with assistance from FBI field offices in Richmond and Newark.