A Navy sailor in California has been taken into custody for participating in a sinister ISIS scheme, which included ambitions to “kill 300 million Americans,” as reported by officials.
Bereen Dzayee, 25, from Lakeside, was apprehended by the FBI on Friday. Alongside him, two 21-year-old men, Elias Shamsaldeen from Porterville, California, and Bisaam Ghafoor from Leawood, Kansas, were also detained, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
For over a year, the trio engaged in online discussions and allegedly sent $2,000 to an individual they believed to be an ISIS member, thinking the money would be used to acquire drones and rocket-propelled grenades, as prosecutors claimed.
Their communications revealed meticulous plans to leave the United States and join ISIS forces, according to a complaint filed in the federal court in Kansas.
Dzayee, who featured in a now-removed Instagram photo wearing a Navy uniform, reportedly proposed targeting the US Special Forces, a prominent American military group, the prosecutors noted.
In contrast, Shamsaldeen expressed a desire to “stab and injure a US servicemember,” while Ghafoor expressed an extreme wish, stating, “I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans.”
Ghafoor also shared his desire to behead a female soldier, and that it would be ‘sick’ if his name was written on the drone they wished to use in the alleged attack, the DOJ revealed.
‘In some of these communications, they expressed a willingness to die on behalf of ISIS,’ authorities said.
Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, was arrested at his home on Friday around 6am after federal agents found that he was allegedly part of a terrifying ISIS plot. He donned a US Navy uniform in a social media picture
Several agents were seen carrying large brown bags out of the home, though the contents of them remain unclear
Federal agents descended on Dzayee’s family home on Friday around 6am, which is located on a quaint, unsuspecting cul-de-sac, startled neighbors told NBC 7.
‘We looked out – it seemed to me like it was a white van that pulled up and tactical guys jumped out and surrounded the house,’ one neighbor recalled to the outlet.
‘Very odd in this neighborhood. So the neighbors started coming out. We didn’t approach but we were watching.’
According to locals, agents then spent hours digging through the home, the family’s garbage, and also talked with Dzayee’s parents.
Several agents were seen carrying large brown bags out of the home, though the contents of them remain unclear.
Along with FBI agents came officials with the Terrorist Task Force, whose presence caused locals to panic even more.
‘I actually walked up to the FBI agent and asked if the house was going to blow up, should the neighborhood be concerned, and he assured me, “No, we’re arresting someone is all we got”,’ the neighbor shared.
Along with FBI agents came officials with the Terrorist Task Force, whose presence caused locals to panic even more
Dzayee (pictured) specifically suggested that they target the US Special Forces, an elite American military unit, prosecutors alleged
A man who lives nearby also told the outlet that from what he saw, Dzayee is not a social person.
Others confirmed that he served in the military, NBC 7 reported.
Following their arrests, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said: ‘This administration has put terrorists, cartels, and gangs on notice.
‘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.’
FBI Director Kash Patel called their arrests a ‘success,’ adding: ‘These subjects allegedly swore allegiance to ISIS, plotted multiple attacks, and even targeted U.S. service members – but this FBI stopped them cold.
‘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.’
