Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, was arrested Friday on federal terrorism charges. Neighbors and a former classmate identified him as a former U.S. Navy sailor. Prosecutors allege he proposed using drones to target U.S. Special Forces and helped fund a scheme involving rocket-propelled grenades and UAVs intended for attacks on American servicemembers overseas.
The FBI arrested Dzayee along with Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas, and Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California. The three are charged with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS after allegedly spending more than a year discussing attacks, raising money, and expressing support for the terrorist organization.
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According to federal prosecutors, the defendants communicated through Discord chats, voice calls, and other messaging platforms from at least February 2025 through June 2026. Investigators allege they pledged allegiance to ISIS and discussed traveling overseas to fight on behalf of the group.
The complaint alleges the three men collectively provided more than $2,000 to a person they believed was an ISIS member. Prosecutors say the money was intended to help purchase drones and rocket-propelled grenades for attacks on U.S. servicemembers deployed overseas. Prosecutors also allege the group explored a cryptocurrency scheme to 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 allege Ghafoor said it would be "sick" to have his name written on a drone used in an attack against Americans. Prosecutors say his name was written on the projectile of one of the rocket-propelled grenades. They also allege he discussed beheading a female soldier and said, "I wish I could kill 300,000,000 Americans."
Shamsaldeen allegedly expressed a desire to stab and injure a U.S. servicemember and contributed money toward purchasing drones. Dzayee allegedly 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."
Neighbors said the appearance of a Joint Terrorism Task Force operation immediately raised alarms in the normally quiet cul-de-sac.
"You immediately — you see Terrorist Task Force, your alarms go up," the neighbor 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 spent several hours searching the residence and interviewing Dzayee's parents.
"He doesn't really speak to folks around here, which is, again, unusual for this neighborhood," one nearby resident said.
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.
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 told the station that Dzayee had served in the military.
The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed Dzayee's service status, and the federal complaint does not address his military background. If that service is confirmed, it will raise questions that neither the Pentagon nor the Navy's vetting process will be able to set aside: how someone who wore the uniform allegedly spent more than a year planning to kill the people he served alongside.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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