A former National Guard member in Michigan has been charged with planning to carry out a mass attack for ISIS, inspired by the Islamic State, on an Army base not far from Detroit. The planned attack was thwarted. According to the Justice Department, 19-year-old Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said was taken into custody on Tuesday. He now faces several charges, including attempting to provide support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Said Faces Several Charges
He is also being charged with “distributing information related to a destructive device at the Detroit Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command, or TACOM, in Warren. It is known as the Detroit Arsenal,” according to charging papers.
Reportedly, the criminal complaint shows that Said informed two undercover officers that he was planning a mass shooting. In April of 2025, the two undercover officers agreed to help Said carry out his plans for the army base under the direction of ISIS.
Said Used Drone To Survey Base
Allegedly, Said supplied armor-piercing ammunition and magazines for his planned army base attack. He also reportedly surveyed the army base using a drone. He then trained the undercover officers on how to use firearms and make Molotov cocktails. Said also informed the undercover officers on how they would enter the building and about the buildings he wanted to target. On May 13, Said was taken into custody; this was the same day he planned to attack the base. He was arrested after arriving at an area near the army base to launch a drone.
Justice Department Comments
“This defendant is charged with planning a deadly attack on a U.S. military base here at home for ISIS,” Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said. “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 U.S. 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,” Bai adds.
“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 U.S. interests overseas,” Bai said.
Court Date Set
On Wednesday, Said was arraigned, and he will remain in detention until his trial. His preliminary exam is scheduled for May 28. He has a court-appointed attorney. If convicted, he could face 20 years in prison.
