In a Christmas week sting operation in partnership with the New York Police Department, the Dallas Police Department, the Midlothian, TX Police Department, the Euless, TX Police Department, the FBI NY field office, and the FBI Dallas field office, 21-year-old John Michael Garza Jr. of Midlothian, TX was arrested for allegedly funding the international terror group ISIS as well as supplying bomb-making implements to a person he assumed was an "ISIS brother." In reality, it was an undercover agent. Garza gave details to the undercover agent on how to mix the components and offered to send an instructional video on how to build the bomb.
Law enforcement agents arrested Garza shortly after the December 22 meeting. On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest on X.
The @FBI and our partners have arrested a 21-year-old alleged ISIS sympathizer in Texas - following a terrorism investigation into attempts to provide bomb-making components and financial support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) December 30, 2025
The subject allegedly shared ISIS…
The @FBI and our partners have arrested a 21-year-old alleged ISIS sympathizer in Texas - following a terrorism investigation into attempts to provide bomb-making components and financial support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
The subject allegedly shared ISIS propaganda, sent cryptocurrency believing it would fund terrorist activity, and attempted to deliver materials intended for explosive devices. This is radical Islamic terrorism, and it was identified and stopped.
Great work by our FBI teams @FBIDallas and great law enforcement partners.
Because ISIS is a worldwide terror organization, Garza is being charged with an international terrorism offense.
An alleged ISIS sympathizer has been federally charged with an international terrorism offense after providing bomb components and money to individuals he believed were acting on behalf of a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“This case is a testament to the incredible work of our federal agents, who work tirelessly to save American lives,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “ISIS’s poisonous ideology must be ripped out root and stem — anyone who tries to commit violence on ISIS’s behalf will be found, arrested, and prosecuted. You cannot hide from us.”
“Today’s announcement underscores the FBI’s commitment to combatting terrorism and demonstrates our continuous work to disrupt and thwart terrorist plots against the American public,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Let this serve as a warning to those who plan to conduct attacks against the United States on behalf of terrorist organizations – you will be brought to justice.”
“The increasing threats of harm and destruction in our country made by those aligned with violent ideologies must be stopped,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “An alleged ISIS sympathizer has been federally charged with an international terrorism. This operation is but one example highlighting the necessity of vigilant observation and swift action to halt what could have been a devastating outcome. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to take prompt action against those attempting to carry out alleged terrorist missions.”
This sting and arrest highlight the vigilance and involvement of local law enforcement in thwarting these attacks. Online terror influences, as well as terrorist sleeper cells embedded in the heartland and across the country, now require this. Upon his confirmation, FBI Director Kash Patel's stated goal was to depopulate agents out of D.C. and surge agents to regional localities. The FBI and local law enforcement have thus far stopped several mass casualty events, including ones in Michigan and in California.
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These takedowns could not have happened without the serious regional presence of the FBI and the diligence of local law enforcement. So, it appears that Patel's strategy is paying off.
Read More: FBI Foils 'Massive' New Year's Eve Terror Plot by Extremist Group in Los Angeles, 4 Arrested
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“The FBI worked alongside our law enforcement partners to quickly arrest an individual who intended to provide bomb making materials to a foreign terrorist organization,” said Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of FBI Dallas. “Protecting the Homeland is a top priority for the FBI. This arrest demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding our communities from terrorism.”
“Today’s charges illustrate that the threats of terrorism and extremist violence against our nation are still very real,” said Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch of the New York Police Department (NYPD). “The NYPD remains committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling these networks at their source – before they can reach their murderous ends. And any person who puts American lives at risk will face justice and be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I want to thank our undercover investigators in the NYPD, as well as our law enforcement partners in the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, for their exceptional work on this case.”
On December 23, the suspect, Garza, appeared before a United States magistrate judge, and a probable cause and detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Madeleine Case for the Northern District of Texas and trial attorney David Courchaine with the Department of Justice's National Security Division’s Counterterrorism section.
If convicted, Garza faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
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