HANOVER, Md. – Michael Sam Teekaye Jr., a 21-year-old from Hanover, Maryland, was arrested on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS-Somalia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced on Wednesday.
The arrest was the culmination of a covert operation that disrupted Teekaye’s plans to travel abroad to join the terrorist group.
According to court documents, Teekaye had been in contact with a Somali member of ISIS since early 2023, discussing his desire to fight in Africa. His intended route was through Turkey and Ethiopia before reaching Somalia.
Court filings also revealed that Teekaye had a secondary plan to carry out an attack in the United States targeting supporters of Israel, in case his international venture was not successful.
An FBI agent, under cover, had been monitoring these communications, where Teekaye expressed his commitment to joining ISIS.
Teekaye’s arrest occurred as he was about to depart from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. If found guilty, he could face up to 20 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
