Former Navy Sailor Accused in ISIS Attack Plot
Federal agents arrested Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, on Friday after prosecutors accused him of helping support an ISIS-linked scheme aimed at U.S. troops overseas. Neighbors and a former classmate identified Dzayee as a former U.S. Navy sailor.
The FBI also arrested Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas, and Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California. Prosecutors say all three men spent more than a year talking about attacks, raising money, and expressing support for the terrorist group.
According to federal court filings, the men communicated through Discord chats, voice calls, and other messaging platforms from at least February 2025 through June 2026. Investigators say they pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed traveling overseas to fight for the organization.
The complaint also says the group sent more than $2,000 to a person they believed was an ISIS member. Prosecutors allege the money was meant to help buy drones and rocket-propelled grenades for attacks on American servicemembers deployed abroad. They also say the men explored a cryptocurrency setup to help finance the operation.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement: “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.”
Federal prosecutors say Ghafoor made chilling comments during the talks. One allegation says he said it would be “sick” to have his name written on a drone used in an attack against Americans. Prosecutors also say his name was written on the projectile of one of the rocket-propelled grenades. They further allege he talked about beheading a female soldier and said, “I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans.”
Shamsaldeen allegedly said he wanted to stab and injure a U.S. servicemember and contributed money toward the drone purchases. Dzayee, prosecutors say, suggested using drones to target U.S. Special Forces personnel.
FBI Director Kash Patel said: “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.”
The arrests were coordinated by Joint Terrorism Task Force teams in Kansas City, San Diego, Sacramento, Richmond, and Newark. Around 6 a.m. Friday, tactical agents surrounded Dzayee’s home in a quiet Lakeside neighborhood.
“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 told NBC 7. “Very odd in this neighborhood. So the neighbors started coming out. We didn’t approach, but we were watching.”
Another neighbor said, “You immediately — you see Terrorist Task Force, your alarms go up,” and added, “I actually walked up to the FBI agent and asked if the house was going to blow up, whether the neighborhood should be concerned, and he assured me, ‘No, we’re arresting someone. That’s all we’ve got.'”
Agents searched the residence for several hours and interviewed Dzayee’s parents. Nearby residents said he kept to himself and did not really talk with people in the area.
Local media reported that photographs posted on a family member’s social media account appear to show Dzayee wearing a Navy sailor’s uniform. Multiple neighbors and a former classmate also told the station that Dzayee had served in the military.
All three defendants are charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Each faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.